View from the Afterlife
by Cyberchao X
Summary: The dead characters look upon the murderous proceedings still underway. Spoilers for both games.
1. The First Trial

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

Chapter 1: The First Trial

"This wasn't part of the script… That bitch! She betrayed me! And after I was nothing but a loyal soldier!"

"Keep it down, Enoshima-san; I'm trying to watch the trial."

"…Maizono-san? Wait, where are we? Aren't I dead?"

"…Your voice sounds different." Sayaka, or more accurately her spirit, turned away from the "screen", if you could call it that, where she was watching the proceedings of her murder trial at Hope's Peak Academy. "Who are you?"

"…Mukuro Ikusaba. Junko is my twin sister, and no, I don't know why we have different last names. I was pretending to be her at her orders. My 'outburst' was supposed to get me punished, yes, made an example of…but she actually had me killed!"

"…Are you saying that _Enoshima_ is the one behind all of this?"

"That's right. The Ultimate Despair. She's responsible for all of this. I thought I was her closest confidant…but it seems that I, too, was just a pawn. …So now that you know who killed me, who's the guilty party in this murder?"

"…If you're asking who killed me, it was Leon. That's what those 'numbers' mean—I really hope they figure that out. Because the real 'guilty party' in this mutual killing…is me."

"…Of course. That's why we're here. To relive our guilt and despair in it, all for my sister's sick pleasure. Though this still shouldn't be possible unless that weirdo with the hamsters really does have occult powers."

"'Weirdo with the hamsters'?" Sayaka asked.

"The rest of Ultimate Despair. They're a rather unstable bunch…many of them were a bit off even before Junko dug her claws into them. You'll likely be seeing the handiwork of another of them fairly soon."

"…I'd rather not watch that part." She switched off the "screen" once it became clear that the remaining students had correctly identified her killer. Mukuro was honestly surprised that such a thing was possible. Before long, Leon arrived and noticed Sayaka.

"…You bitch! You betrayed me!" He hit her in the face. "…Wait, how are you here right now? Am I in hell? Are you a devil sent to torture me for my sins?"

Sayaka calmly took the hit. "I deserved that. And if anyone's being tortured here, it's me. After all…it's just as much my fault that we're dead as it is yours."

"…Maizono-san? It's really you?"

"Yeah. You understand why I had to do it, right?"

"Because you're a selfish bitch?"

"Well, that, but that's not what I meant. After all, you'd already gotten your revenge for that, right? No, I meant why I had to betray you yet again as I lay dying." Leon didn't respond. "It wasn't because I wanted to spite you for killing me—although Celes-san was right when she said that it wasn't self-defense; that you could've just walked away when I locked myself in the shower instead of chasing after me and killing me. No, it was because if I let Naegi-san take the fall for you, I'd be dooming 13 innocent people to death instead of just one." She thought about this statement for a moment. "12 innocent people."

"You didn't seem to have any problem dooming those same people to death when you planned to kill me and frame Naegi-san."

"Yes, because that was self-preservation, and as we already established, I'm extremely selfish."

"…Wait, how did you know about what Celes-san said? And that there were only 12 of us left after my execution?"

Sayaka turned the "screen" back on. "You weren't exactly wrong when you said we were being tortured for our sins. We can see everything that happens there from here. I…switched it off as soon as you were voted guilty because I didn't want to see your execution."

"Pretty shoddy torturers, then. If you were really being tortured, you'd have been forced to watch. Who's she?"

"Mukuro Ikusaba. The not-so-innocent person. That _was_ what you meant, right, Maizono-san? That not all of the people there were so innocent?"

"…Correct. By your own admission, you were placed there as a plant by the mastermind of this 'High School Life of Mutual Killing'. I pity you, because you were killed by someone you trusted, even loved…but you're not innocent."

"Oh, gee, now doesn't that sound familiar?" Leon asked sarcastically.

"…I deserved that, too."

"So, wait, what happened to Enoshima-san?"

"The 'Enoshima' you saw killed was me. The real Enoshima, my twin sister, is responsible for this entire event, as well as for The Tragedy. She's the one pulling Monokuma's strings, so to speak."

"I can understand why you don't trust her," Leon said to Sayaka.

"I wouldn't from your situation, either. Death brings a lot of clarity, as well as a lot of regret. I believed that I wasn't like the other members of Ultimate Despair; that I was supporting my sister of my own free will rather than because she had brainwashed me…but that was a lie. She used my feelings of familial love to manipulate me. In a way, I'm no different than Tsumiki."

"Who?"

"Another member of my sister's group. I'd say that you should pray you never meet any of them, but seeing as how we're already dead, the world would probably be better off if you did."

"And you said she—your sister—feeds on despair?" Leon asked. Mukuro nodded. "Well, then, she's got plenty of it here. I got executed as a _murderer_ and I seem to have the fewest regrets. That thought alone is pretty depressing."

"…You don't regret killing me even a little?"

"Of course I do. Just apparently not as much as you seem to regret attempting to kill me and frame Naegi-san."

"…I hope no one else has to go through this."

* * *

CCX: Well, there's the first chapter of this. We're probably going to pick this up again after Chihiro's death, or perhaps we'll skip right on ahead to early Chapter 3. Until then, this is CCX, signing off.


	2. Another Death

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

**Spoiler Warning: This fic spoils **_**both**_** games, not just the first one. It'll eventually continue on to the events of that game, too.**

Chapter 2: Another Death

"So then the sixteenth chair at the trial was Enoshima's?" Leon asked.

"Well, technically, since 'Junko Enoshima' was present at the game and was killed for disobeying Monokuma, the sixteenth chair belongs to Mukuro Ikusaba. But, yes, the sixteenth chair was for the missing twin."

"I'm surprised. Usually in these types of clichéd scenarios, there's an even split between boys and girls," Sayaka said. "Now, there were 8 girls and 7 boys, which is fine because you can't divide that perfectly evenly, but then the mysterious 16th student should be male."

"…Maybe you should go back to watching the school."

"Although, I suppose Oogami-san looks pretty masculine…"

"She's scary muscular, but I don't think so," Leon disagreed. "If I had to pick one of the so-called girls to suspect as male, I'd pick Fujisaki-chan. She looks like she's still in elementary school, and boys' and girls' bodies haven't differentiated as much yet at that point."

"That's the whole point. No boy would be that fragile-looking at this age."

"Yeah, but even under all that muscle, Oogami-san is still, um…female-shaped. Fujisaki-chan's easily the flattest one there; if she hadn't been wearing the girls' uniform I honestly wouldn't have been able to guess one way or the other."

"Ikusaba, you seem to know the truth. Are either of us correct?"

"Yes."

"Which one?"

"Just watch; it looks like you're about to get your answer." Sure enough, it wasn't long before discovering that Chihiro was, in fact, male, and was going to Mondo for help becoming stronger.

"This is going to end badly, I know it," Leon said.

"I think it's nice that he's attempting to become stronger."

"Yeah, but with Oowada-san's temper, if Fujisaki-kun says the wrong thing…"

"Don't be such a pessimist! Isn't that exactly what Enoshima wants?" Mukuro confirmed this.

"…Where am I? Oowada-san?"

"…Told you. Sorry, Fujisaki-kun, it looks like Oowada lost his temper. He should be joining us within a few hours, if the others correctly identify him as your murderer."

"…Kuwata-san? Wait, is that…did I die?"

"Yep. Oowada-san smashed your head in with a dumbbell."

"No, that's not right…it wasn't…If Oowada-san killed me, why is Togami-san moving my body?"

"Hell if I know. Maybe he has a death wish and wants to get everyone to vote for the wrong killer, or maybe he wants to be a hero and lead everyone to the truth at the crucial moment."

"See, this is why I made sure there was no doubt who killed me, even though I had already done most of the frame-up myself."

"Maizono-san, you're here too? And…wait, you're not Enoshima-san."

"I'm Ikusaba. Enoshima is my sister. She's responsible for all of this. I was one of her accomplices, until she had me killed as well."

"Do we trust her?"

"That depends on what you mean by 'trust'. She _was_ part of the group that put us through this shit, but she's probably got the most personal beef with them right now of anyone," Sayaka said. "And she probably has the most insight into what happens next of anyone."

"Well, what happens right _now_ is that they find your body, hold a trial, hopefully execute the right person…actually I'm not even sure if that's what's best. Getting the right culprit prolongs this game, and the despair. Although, there's plenty of that to go around here, too…wherever we are."

"If that's really Hope's Peak we're seeing, then we must still exist in some form of data. Maybe…maybe I could contact my AIs somehow, if I'm data."

"AIs?"

"I'm a programming prodigy, remember? I've got three AIs that I created. Well…only one of them is actually complete. The second one is supposed to be more advanced, so she still needs some work, and the third one is barely even started. Alter Ego should be able to complete my work, though, at least where Nanami is concerned."

"Alter Ego?"

"The first AI."

"AIs creating AIs? Aren't you afraid they'll rise up to take over the world?"

"I-I could never do that…and I programmed Alter Ego to have my personality. Well, by default anyway. He can take on other personalities based on the data I programmed into him…"

"Well, regardless, we seem to be actual ghosts, not…data ghosts or whatever you thought we might be. Junko's powers really do seem almost supernatural at times, and one of her cohorts is honestly convinced he has occult powers, a fact that she used to her advantage when recruiting him."

"Can he?"

"I didn't think so. Now I'm starting to wonder."

They watched as Mondo was indeed found guilty and executed. "…What did I just watch?" Sayaka asked.

"Another of Souda's twisted creations."

"Oh, the deathtrap part I get. But why did he become 'Mondo Butter', and why did Monokuma eat it?"

"Because 'Monokuma' has a twisted sense of humor. Honestly, I have no idea."

"That probably is a fairly accurate representation of what would happen to your body if you were subjected to those kind of g-forces," Chihiro pointed out.

"Hey, you didn't seem to bear any ill will towards Oowada-san, right?" Leon asked.

"No, why?"

"Because he should be arriving any second now."

Chihiro turned around. "Oowada-san! I'm sorry…I should've known better…"

"It's not your fault, little dude. I lost control, and I'm sorry…I never meant to kill you…"

"I know you didn't. Let's put it behind us. The more we dwell on it, the more the mastermind wins."

"Mastermind?"

"The one behind all of this. You may have thought you saw her, before 'she' was executed. That actually being me, of course."

"…Who are you?"

"I'm Mukuro Ikusaba. I was used by my twin sister, Junko Enoshima."

"The _model_ is actually behind all of this? No way."

"Well, _my_ talent is 'Ultimate Soldier'. Believe what you will; she's a ruthless killer."

"She's not the only one."

Mukuro smiled. "I assume you're referring to the revelation that the serial killer 'Genocide Jack' is in fact a Genocide Jill, and a split personality of that unassuming bookworm Fukawa? Yes, that was quite the masterwork on Junko's part. And it was _supposed_ to be another reason why I was to be there observing everything…but I suppose they can still handle her."

"So what you're saying is that you're one of the bad guys. Does anyone here mind if I beat her face in?" Mondo asked.

"It won't do you any good," Leon said, "seeing as how we're all already dead. And she's been nothing but helpful, since she has a grudge against her sister for betraying her."

"Wait, I think Asahina-san…yes! She found Alter Ego!" Chihiro cried out. "Please let me still be able to communicate with him…"

"How would you even do that?" Sayaka asked.

"…I have no idea."

* * *

CCX: So far, so good. Chapter 3 will hold the idea that inspired this fic. I may have already foreshadowed it. Until then, this is Cyberchao X, signing off.


	3. Altered Perceptions

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

**Spoiler Warning: This fic spoils **_**both**_** games, not just the first one. It'll eventually continue on to the events of that game, too.**

Chapter 3: Altered Perceptions

A/N: It's a very black comedy.

"Ishimaru's been so sad. Why did it have to be like this?" Mondo asked.

"Because you couldn't control your temper?" Leon suggested.

"I've seen this too many times before. He's a prime candidate for recruitment right now," Mukuro said.

"Recruitment?"

"Ultimate Despair. Ishimaru-san was full of hope, more so than most of you, so his despair will be especially appealing to Junko."

"He'll pull through! Ishimaru's stronger than that!"

"I hope you're right."

"…Wait, is that me?"

"Y-yeah… it won't be as good an imitation as it would be of me, because I didn't know you long enough, but it might be enough to snap Ishimaru-san out of his funk."

"I think it's working! Wait, what just happened to him?"

"I think he's snapped. But if it helps him cope, good for him," Sayaka said.

* * *

"So, who do you think will be the next murderer?" Mukuro asked after Monokuma revealed the new motive. Unanimously they chose Celes. "Wow, didn't expect everyone to agree like that. It's that obvious that she'd fall victim to greed?"

"Yep. It really is."

"Hopefully she goes after Yamada," Chihiro said. Everyone stared at him, surprised at this seeming break of character. Chihiro never had any bad thoughts about anyone, and he wouldn't normally be so rude as to omit an honorific. "He's creeping me out. His obsession with '2-D girls' is bad enough, but Alter Ego isn't even female! And I want him gone before anyone discovers Nanami." He shuddered, thinking about the obese fanfic writer lusting over his creation.

"Who's Nanami?" Mondo asked.

"She's another AI like Alter Ego," Chihiro said. "She's not quite complete, so hopefully Alter Ego will keep her hidden away, but she's meant to be even more human than he is. If given a body, she'd probably be indistinguishable from a real human if she was complete. Even where I was when I…died, she'd probably be able to fool someone for a while."

"…I think maybe you're not the only one with something to gain from us teaming up."

"Can we really train here?"

"Of course we can!"

"I'll keep an eye out, make sure your AI doesn't get violated," Mukuro offered.

"It's not like you can really do anything about it…"

* * *

"Well, she's crafty, I'll give her that. The type of person that Junko would've wanted to recruit."

"Don't get too excited; if she 'graduates', that's still a possibility," Sayaka pointed out.

"Ugh. Didn't think of that. Luckily she's using an utter fool as her accomplice; hopefully he'll fuck things up."

Meanwhile, Mondo and Chihiro were greeting Kiyotaka. "Oowada! No, Mondo!"

"Hey, bro, don't get too excited. You _are_ dead after all."

"Then is this the power of our spirits allowing us to meet again?"

"That's probably as good an explanation as any. Others offered have been that we're data, or that it's the fault of a nut-job who calls his hamsters 'dark gods'."

"Kuwata-san! You're here too! …Who's the black-haired chick?"

"Ishimaru-san, meet Ikusaba-san. Our endless source of exposition owing to her status as a betrayed former member of the villainous team," Sayaka said.

"What's she doing with us, then?"

"I was there. Disguised as the mastermind herself."

Kiyotaka looked around and processed which fallen classmate was absent. "Enoshima-san?"

Mukuro nodded. "My twin sister. This wasn't the first time she had me play her role. The first time, it was because she herself was masquerading as someone else and had taken away her own memories in order to make herself believe that she was who she said she was. I was to be 'her' so that Ryouko could interact with 'Junko'."

"Oh? Now there's a new story."

"I've got plenty of them. And we don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so you might get to hear all of them eventually."

"If only all the villains could be as clichéd as Celes-san. Look, she's betraying Yamada-san…oh what the fuck?!"

"What's wrong, Maizono-san?"

"That _asshole_ is staying loyal to his killer even in death! He's trying to pin the blame on Hagakure-san!"

"Is he really?" Mukuro asked, a strange smile on her face.

"I'm pretty sure his dying words were that his killer was Yasuhiro."

"And when has he _ever_ called anyone by their first name?"

"…Please don't tell me that Celes-san's real surname is Yasuhiro."

"Of course it is. That was one of the main reasons she was chosen. Junko anticipated something like this happening."

"…Taeko."

"You didn't get a chance to finish your last words, dumbass. You'd better hope that Naegi-san and Kirigiri-san figure out the truth, because your dying words play right into your murderer's hands!"

"Ah, Maizono-chan! Is this another of Alter Ego's projections? Truly I am in heaven!"

"You're not in heaven!" Kiyotaka yelled.

"Aah! I'm so sorry, Ishimaru-dono! Yasuhiro, I mean Celes-dono, she manipulated me!"

"…I know. She's the one I'm really mad at. But I'm mad at you too, so don't think you're off the hook."

"That's unfortunate. We were doing so well with victims forgiving their murderers. I'm really the only one who holds a grudge. Well, I suppose technically Oowada-san and Kuwata-san, because they too were killed not by a classmate but by Junko and her crew."

"…Who are you? You don't look 2-D, but you weren't one of our classmates."

"Yes I was. I was masquerading as my twin sister at her behest. …We're not identical twins, if that's what you're thinking—although strawberry blonde isn't _her_ natural hair color either."

"…Are you Ikusaba-dono?" Mukuro looked taken aback. "I actually read the e-handbook. That's how I knew Ludenberg-dono's real name. You're the 'mysterious sixteenth student'."

"Yes, I suppose I am."

"But then if you were posing as Enoshima-dono at her behest, does that mean that she's the one controlling Monobear?"

"Yes. I suppose in a manner of speaking, she has become a character rather than a person in her own right. Had you not fallen victim to her machinations, you might very well have become one of her minions."

"I'd rather have been a minion than dead."

"Fujisaki-san, can you come here? I want to see if I can get this…'screen' to show something else. I want to show Yamada-san here the type of person that my sister has as minions. Although I should think that 'Mondo Butter' was a good demonstration. That's the one thing that makes it a shame that Miss Ludenberg decided to become a murderer; she's obsessed with being 'special', so her execution will of course have to be extremely mundane. An insufficient display of Souda's twisted 'genius'."

"It's times like this that we question your trustworthiness, Ikusaba-san," Leon said.

"Yeah, that came out wrong. What I meant was that since we're locked to Hope's Peak at the moment, Souda's deathtraps are the only display I have to offer of how awful her people—our people—are. He's actually one of the tamer ones. If you'd met him before he fell under Junko's influence, you two might've been friends."

"Wait, _me_? He sounds more like Fujisaki-san's type."

"Well, he's a mechanic, not a programmer. But he kind of reminds me of you, at least physically. Both of you have the spiky hair dyed in an obnoxious color. Though to your credit, you haven't filed your teeth to be as pointy as a shark's."

"After he fell to despair, right?"

"No…okay, maybe he wasn't so mild after all. But he was ultimately fairly harmless, comparatively speaking."

"Also, I totally still hold a grudge against Maizono-san."

"As rightly you should," Sayaka replied.

Mukuro wasn't so convinced. "Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Hmm...I wonder how Komaeda is handling Junko's absence."

"...What?"

"Don't worry about it. It's a non sequitur."

* * *

CCX: I'm…not really sure how to end these chapters, and I specifically wanted this one to end before Celes joined them. Also, I had to edit this because Leon was supposed to protest when Mukuro first said that none of the earlier murderers/victims held grudges, only it got interrupted by the fact that that was Hifumi's introduction to her. So until next time, this is CCX, signing off.


	4. Mi, Yo

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

**Spoiler Warning: This fic spoils **_**both**_** games, not just the first one. It'll eventually continue on to the events of that game, too.**

Chapter 4: Mi, Yo

A/N: …Looks like it's time for my confession. I haven't actually played these games myself, and my knowledge comes from various sources of spoilers. I misinterpreted something from the Danganronpa Wiki, so I made a mistake. However, not only am I going to point out the flaw, I'm going to use it to explain away an apparent plot hole that as far as I know was never explained.

As Celestia's trial wore on, Mukuro suddenly realized something. "Wait…only our own handbooks would have our real names. If you learned my name the way you said you did, Yamada-san, you would've already known who I was, because you would've had to get _my_ handbook from my corpse!"

"Th-that's not…I didn't know where your handbook came from! I found it among Ishimaru-dono's stuff when I…sorry, Ishimaru-dono." Kiyotaka said nothing.

"Ishimaru-san? Is this true?"

"No, Ikusaba-san. I knew nothing of your existence."

"…I think I know where he got your handbook. It was probably among _my _belongings, which I'm sure bro would've taken after my execution. I never looked at it, but…after I lost my temper and killed Fujisaki-san, I found that he had _two_ handbooks. The first one I tried was his own, and it didn't open the girls' changing room, but the other one did. I thought maybe he had a girl's handbook as well in order to better conceal his secret—maybe even one from either Enoshima-san or Maizono-san—but you didn't, did you?" Chihiro confirmed that he hadn't. "Monobear—Enoshima-san must've taken your book after killing you and planted it on Fujisaki-san so I could use it to help cover up my crime. I incinerated Fujisaki-san's, but I don't remember what I did with the other one."

"That's…"

"So then where is it now?" Leon asked.

"Knowing my sister, she's probably reclaimed it by now, unless it's still with Yamada-san's stuff. After all, I doubt she'd pass up an opportunity to use it again."

"Unless she thinks I read it and told someone who's still alive your name."

"No, you wouldn't have. My handbook allowing you to switch the rooms would've been extremely damning evidence against you," Mukuro pointed out.

"I thought you said Celes-san's execution would be extremely mundane," Sayaka said, drawing everyone's attention back to the recently-completed trial.

"There'll be a twist. I'm not privy to all the details, but I know that much." Sure enough, a fire truck appeared to run Celestia over. Mukuro had to restrain herself from laughing. "Yep, there it is. I'd admire her if I wasn't so angry at her."

"…I want my reincarnation."

"Well, this is awkward. Yamada-san, Ishimaru-san, please put Celes-san down. Even if she probably does deserve whatever you want to do to her," Sayaka said.

"This is where we go after we die?"

"Seems to be. We haven't seen anyone from outside of our 'class' since we got here," Sayaka replied.

"Oh? What about her?"

Mukuro couldn't help but laugh. "Every time someone new shows up…now that you've been eliminated from the game, you get to learn the truth. The mastermind behind Monobear is Junko Enoshima. The 'Junko Enoshima' that you saw executed was in fact me. My name is Mukuro Ikusaba and Enoshima is my fraternal twin. And dying for her twisted game _was_ not something I was prepared to do."

"That's odd…if I were the mastermind, I wouldn't dispose of my inside man so quickly."

"…"

"Ikusaba-san, is there something you've been withholding from us?"

"I'm the only member of Ultimate Despair who was among the students—well, besides Junko herself, but they don't know that the 16th student was ever actually there."

"But…?"

"But she wasn't the only 'traitor'," Chihiro said.

"What makes you think that?" Mukuro asked.

"Because Monobear just said so. He, or I guess she, just said that Oogami-san was a mole, working for him. For her."

"Hmm…what's she getting at? Revealing that now…she's getting desperate, even though she probably just had her biggest success yet."

"Hardly," Sayaka disagreed. "I betrayed the trust of two boys, and I had my regrets as well. And Oowada-san didn't even intend to kill Fujisaki-san, and regretted it immediately—and, like me, Fujisaki-san felt like he was partially at fault. But Ishimaru-san was completely blindsided and Celes-san didn't seem to show any regrets. Aside from the fact that three people died instead of two, nothing about that last case was terribly despairing."

"So why'd you keep that bit from us for so long?" Leon asked.

"Because it was ultimately unimportant. Like I said, I was the only _true_ 'mole'. Oogami-san was merely being blackmailed into helping her, and doesn't know the mastermind's true identity. Back when everyone received their first motive. If no one else bit on the motive, she was to start the mutual killing, or else her dojo would be destroyed …I disagreed with the choice of targets for the blackmail. Yes, Oogami was both extremely strong and had a strong sense of honor that would ensure she'd do what Junko asked in order to save her dojo…but she wasn't the only one who fit that description."

"Yes, but she's the more level-headed of the two by far," Celes said, immediately picking up on what Mukuro was referring to. "…Also, her code would've provided for 14 potential targets rather than 7." She thought about it for a moment. "6."

"…You! Damnit, if I weren't still honor-bound not to attack women, I'd pound you right now!"

"I imagine that your video probably had your gang in danger anyway. If anything, they'd have probably been better off if you had been the blackmailing victim; she'd have to leave them alive as long as you obeyed her demands, whereas without needing them to ensure your obedience they're far more expendable. And if they follow the same code of honor you do, Pekoyama-san could've probably taken them out singlehandedly."

"That's the first time I've heard you use an honorific when referring to a member of your sister's group," Sayaka said.

"That's because Pekoyama-san is an honorable woman. Her title is 'Ultimate Swordsman', but like me, she's largely a dutiful soldier who follows orders. Her own despair was largely caused by the belief that her beloved saw her as nothing more than a tool…a belief that Junko fostered, especially once he fell to despair."

"'He'?"

"Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, heir to the Kuzuryuu family of yakuza. Pekoyama-san was his bodyguard, but she fell in love with him. Even if she hadn't fallen prey to despair herself, she probably would've killed for Ultimate Despair as long as Kuzuryuu was the one who gave her the orders. The thing is, before falling to the despair, he _did_ care for her. He just didn't know how to show it."

"That's kind of sad…"

"Many of their backstories are. Junko preys on those who have lost hope and turns them into monsters. That's why, now that death has freed me from her influence, I don't exactly have respect for most of my former comrades. But while most of them started to enjoy killing as a result of her influence, Pekoyama-san never seemed to treat it as anything other than a job. I guess that's why I still hold some respect for her."

"Treating killing as nothing more than a _job_ is not something to respect!" Leon pointed out.

"It's a comparative issue. Most of the others are psychos who revel in death. Also, I was the Ultimate _Soldier_. To be able to do your duty without worrying about emotion, that's very valuable for a soldier. What we do…it's horrible. The only way to get through it is to dehumanize your targets. …And in the end, I wasn't able to put emotion behind me. After all, I followed a tyrant, not necessarily because I believed in the ideals I was fighting for, but because that tyrant was my sister and I felt like it was something I should do. If my moral compass had been a bit stronger, maybe I could've influenced her instead of the other way around. After we were orphaned…"

"How were you orphaned?"

"I don't know. Given her despair fetish, Junko very well may have killed our parents herself. She doesn't discriminate, you know; her own despair is every bit as 'delicious' to her as others' is."

"…Really," Leon said.

"Yeah."

"Leon-san, what are you getting at?" Sayaka asked.

"…It's nothing."

"…Oh, I get it!"

"Why not say it, Kuwata-san?" Chihiro asked.

"Because we've all been getting along so well thus far."

"Are you worried about me?" Mukuro asked. "I'm strong. Whatever it is, I can take it."

"That's not what we're worried about," Sayaka said. "It's just…if she enjoys her own despair, too…is it possible that Enoshima really did love you?"

"…Yes, it's possible. But even if she did, she disposed of me for, what, a cheap thrill? If you're worried that the idea that my sister really did love me will restore my loyalty to her, you've got nothing to worry about. Not that it matters any longer where my loyalties lie…"

"Looks like everything we just learned is out on the table," Kiyotaka said. "They know that Oogami-san was blackmailed. But I fear it won't make a difference…Monokuma seems to have them in quite a situation."

"So much for Hagakure-san's prediction that there'd be no more murders…"

* * *

"I suppose that, technically speaking, Hagakure-san's prediction is still on the table. Even feeling honor-bound, a suicide is just the type of despair that Enoshima thrives on…correct?"

"Yeah. I have to commend you on subverting my sister's demands, Oogami-san. The letter of the demands was that you had to be killed or else kill someone…and you took care of both. If she honors her word, your dojo should be safe."

"…And who are you?"

"I'm Mukuro Ikusaba. The fake Enoshima that got killed by Monokuma during the first trial. The real one is controlling Monokuma. Though I'm surprised you don't know that already… Nevertheless, your actions should help the remaining students immensely."

"You mean breaking into the headmaster's office?"

"Indeed. If she wasn't desperate before, she will be now."

"…Desperate for what, I might ask?" Sayaka cut in. "With only six students, the game has to be almost over even if they do correctly identify Oogami-san's death as a suicide."

"Yes, but she's running out of 'victims' too quickly. 4 of the remaining 6 have no desire to kill, and thanks to Fukawa-san/Genocide Jill's infatuation with Togami-san, he might sooner target her than one of the 'obvious victims'. He'd be the obvious choice for a culprit, though…and the only one who might be willing to kill would be Hagakure-san, and he'd have to be tricked into it. And even if 'Jill' gets to killing first, Hagakure-san and Asahina-san are the easiest remaining targets. Hell, if I'm reading my sister's actions correctly, her current plan is to make sure that Asahina-san's current despair over losing Oogami-san gets her to screw up this trial in order to kill everyone."

"Again, what is the point?"

"That neither the Ultimate Detective nor the Ultimate Hope will be dying. And with the headmaster's office open, the former will be especially problematic to her."

* * *

CCX: Whoa, way to drop a bombshell, Mukuro! So now the dead students know Kirigiri's title even though the live ones still don't. Until next time, this is Cyberchao X, signing off.


	5. Despairation

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

**Spoiler Warning: This fic spoils **_**both**_** games, not just the first one. It'll eventually continue on to the events of that game, too.**

Chapter 5: Despairation

A/N: Yeah, yeah, "desperation" and "despair" come from the same root word, so what was supposed to be a pun is essentially just a misspelling.

* * *

"No! Alter Ego-dono!" Hifumi paused for a moment. "Fujisaki-dono, would Alter Ego-dono come here too?"

"All she did was destroy a laptop. If she actually thinks that Alter Ego is 'dead', this execution could actually work to the remaining students' advantage. He's smart; I programmed him to think like me. I'm willing to bet he'll reveal his continued existence at a crucial moment to thwart Enoshima's plans."

"Did I hear you say 'bet'? I'll take that wager."

"Celes-san!" Sayaka chided. "We're beyond the realm of material wealth! The last thing we need is your 'Ultimate Gambler' ability to derail this…what would it be derailing?"

"The thwarting of my sister's plans. I'm really not sure what she's going to do next, though; she's been acting fairly erratically ever since the third trial."

"From what you've told us of her, she's always been erratic," Leon said.

"No. She's always been crazy, but she's very calculating. I think she's flustered because her plans aren't working out. …Serves her right. This would've gone so much more smoothly if she still had her Ultimate Soldier working behind the scenes." Mukuro realized what she just said. "Yeah, I know, that's not exactly going to make me popular here. But it's true, isn't it? If I were still alive, I'd probably still be working for her. Although…there's something about the true Ultimate Hope…maybe I would've come to my senses anyway?"

"…_True_ Ultimate Hope?"

"Ah, yes, I never mentioned the first bearer of the title 'Ultimate Hope', did I? Not to speak ill of the dead, but the higher-ups at Hope's Peak Academy once engaged in what was known as the 'Ultimate Hope Project'. They took a student from one of the reserve classes, a boy by the name of Hajime Hinata, and modified his mind to give him multiple Ultimate talents. He was to become the Ultimate Hope, and was rechristened Izuru Kamukura after the founder of Hope's Peak. Unfortunately for them, having everything come so easily to him gave Kamukura a god complex, and he became bored with humanity. He's the only member of Ultimate Despair that even Junko is wary of."

"So he's potentially an even bigger threat than your sister?"

"In a way. He pretty much does what Junko wants him to, but more out of convenience than any strong devotion to her. If he ever decided he didn't need her any more, I think she'd probably be dead. But like I said, he's not terribly emotional and becomes bored easily, so he lacks the mad ambition that my sister has."

* * *

"Oh, I cannot believe her! She's blatantly disregarding the rules she set out, and she's using _my corpse_ to do it! She had better _hope_ that her plan does succeed, because if she shows up here, I'm going to _kill her __**again!**_"

Everyone else just stared at Mukuro. This was the first time they'd seen her lose her composure like this. Sayaka was the only one who had even seen her anger when she first arrived, but even that paled in comparison to the rage she was showing at the moment.

"So which one is she going to try to frame for your murder?"

"Probably Kirigiri-san. Even if Naegi-san is apparently the real Ultimate Hope, Kirigiri-san is the bigger threat right now due to her status as the Ultimate Detective. Besides…my sister feels that the more hope someone has, the more delicious their despair is. She'd probably rather try to break him than just kill him outright."

"And killing Kirigiri-san would be the most efficient way to do that," Celes said.

"…I beg your pardon?" Mukuro and Sayaka both asked.

Celes smirked. "Have you not been paying attention to the signs, or have you been willfully ignoring them? Though I don't see why you should be so disappointed, seeing as how he's alive and you aren't. You should be happy that he's moved on…although, I didn't expect you to react the same way as Maizono-san." The last comment was directed solely at Mukuro. "Would he not have been your enemy if you were still alive? Or are you perhaps a Capulet?" Mukuro looked confused. "I see. Not much time for a soldier to familiarize herself with classic literature, perhaps even less so with Western literature."

"Are you even actually European?" Leon asked. Celes ignored him.

"So I suppose this was someone who fell in love with an enemy?"

"Indeed. Perhaps you've at least heard of the play even if you weren't familiar enough with it to understand the reference. It's called _Romeo and Juliet_."

"I have indeed."

"Well, Capulet was Juliet's family name. Romeo's was Monatgue, and the two families were bitter enemies." Mukuro nodded at the explanation.

"Wait, when you said 'moved on'…you think he really did love me?" Sayaka asked.

"Until you betrayed him, yes. It was Kirigiri-san who convinced him that you had indeed regretted your actions. That was probably the start of his interest in her."

* * *

"What's she saying? That's not true and she knows it!" Mukuro cried out at the screen.

"Perhaps your sister has indeed outwitted her," Kiyotaka suggested.

"…No. She trusts the others. Listen, no one has called her out on her lie," Sakura pointed out.

"But then…who will get selected for execution?" Mukuro asked.

"I've been wondering about that too," Chihiro said. "None of them actually killed the victim, so it's not like there's a 'right' answer. Couldn't she just say that they chose incorrectly if they don't choose the person she wants them to?"

"…I'd say there's an 80% chance of that. If they choose Kirigiri-san, then she'll undoubtedly say that they chose correctly. But if she says Kirigiri-san is the murderer after they choose someone else, then Kirigiri-san would get to go free. I suspect if they choose anyone other than her, my sister will name Naegi-san as the true murderer. Ideally for her, they choose one of the other four and Naegi-san is left all alone and in despair, but…I think she'd sooner kill Naegi-san alone than kill both of them and send one of the other four out into the world. …Well, maybe Asahina-san; she's chipper enough that her despair would excite Junko."

"So you think the only way Kirigiri-san survives is if they choose Naegi-san?" Mondo asked.

"Yes, that is what I believe. And seeing as how Naegi-san's _current_ title is 'Ultimate Lucky Student', he also probably has the best chance of surviving his own execution."

"How would he survive his own execution?" Kiyotaka asked.

"I don't know, but we've already seen one 'execution' fail, in a manner of speaking, have we not?"

"They _are_ going to pin it on Naegi-san," Leon said.

"Shut it off; I can't watch!" Sayaka begged.

"It's okay; you don't have to watch." Leon sounded nervous as well.

"I don't really want to see him die either…but I doubt he'll have any regrets about taking the fall for Kirigiri-san," Mukuro said.

"Well, at least now the new arrivals will know who you are," Celes said, receiving a stern glare from the others. "What, I can't try to lighten the mood?"

Only one person laughed, but not at Celestia's distasteful joke. "You need it…seeing as how you just lost a bet."

"I what?"

Everyone looked up at the screen. Naegi's execution had ceased, and Chihiro's face had replaced Monobear's on the television screen in the execution room. "Alter Ego!" some of them cried out.

"I told you he'd return at the crucial moment!"

"But was it enough? Monokuma seems to be saying otherwise," Kiyotaka pointed out.

"I think it was. Look, Kirigiri-san's going after him."

* * *

A/N: Next chapter is probably going to skip right to the end of Junko's trial. Until then, this is Cyberchao X, signing off.


	6. Enter the Tyrant

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

**Spoiler Warning: This fic spoils **_**both**_** games, not just the first one.**

Chapter 6: Enter the Tyrant

The 9 prior victims of the School Life of Mutual Killing watched gleefully as Makoto Naegi successfully convinced the remnants to all vote for hope over despair. Junko Enoshima happily accepted her punishment, giving in to the despair of death. The dead students cheered—even the stoic Sakura Oogami cracked a smile. Then Mukuro Ikusaba asked, "Shall we shut down the view of Hope's Peak for a bit? I think the real show is going to be right here very soon." No one disagreed.

"Huh? Is this death? It doesn't feel very despairing… Mukuro-chan! I'm so happy to see you!"

"See? Didn't I say the next new arrival would know who Ikusaba-san was?"

"I know. Believe me, you don't know the half of just how happy you are to see me, dear sister. You are going to be _wet_ with despair when I'm through with you."

"Uh, Ikusaba-san? Did you mean to say 'wet'?" Sayaka asked.

"Yes. I told you about my sister's despair fetish. Sadly she's going to enjoy this…but I don't care, because I'm going to enjoy this just as much."

"You're so sweet, onee-chan!"

"Of course. You are my dear sister and you _**killed me on a lark!**_"

"Ah! I guess you're still angry about that…but you haven't changed a bit. Still spreading despair."

"Only to you. Your despair is the only one that interests me right now. That was your intent, right? To cause yourself despair by killing one of the few people who truly cared about you, alienating her trust?"

Junko nodded, still wondering how she could be feeling such pain when she was already dead. "Same as when I killed Yasuke-san." There were some mumblings between the others as to whom she was referring to. "As much as I'm enjoying your anger at me…this is kind of just painful."

"Good. Now you know how I felt when you betrayed me. And seeing as how the lack of a physical body means I'll never get hungry or tired, don't expect this to let up any time soon."

"I can't tell if she's in pleasure or pain."

"I'm pretty sure it's both. Crazy masochists."

"You know, most of us probably should hold a grudge against her, too."

"Let Ikusaba-san handle it; her grudge is more personal. Besides, she's still a girl so there's at least one person who we know won't get in on punishing her."

"I'd consider making an exception for her. She acts more like a demon than a person, and I never made any rules against attacking demons even if they look like human girls."

"That's because demons aren't actually real."

"Yes, that's why I never made a rule against attacking them."

Meanwhile Junko had managed to find the switch for the "screen". "Ooh, now _here's_ some lovely despair!"

"…How did she manage to switch the view to somewhere other than Hope's Peak?"

"These people are Ultimate Despair. Even in death, Junko's influence over them is unyielding."

"In _her_ death, you mean. I wonder if their own deaths will bring them more clarity."

"Eventually, maybe. I came around right away because _she betrayed me personally._"

"Oh, don't think that my death will end the despair. There are still plenty of loyal members of Ultimate Despair who will keep on causing death and destruction. Like them, for example. Ah, Izuru, I'm so happy your loyalty never wavered."

"What the…they're chopping up your corpse? What are they going to do with it?"

"They want to feel closer to me. Haha, Nagito-chan's there too. Still delusionally ranting about how much he hates me and sees me as his enemy. He's so adorable like that. I'm going to miss the hatesex…I'm getting tingly just thinking about how much I'll miss that."

Mukuro stepped on her head. "This is why she's always so bubbly. She enjoys her own sadness too, so she's perpetually cheerful. I never realized how infuriating it was. Or maybe it's only infuriating now that I _want _her to suffer."

"A little lower, please!"

"…I'm not helping you get off on pain. If there was some way to make you legitimately miserable I'd do it but you enjoy misery too much. Someone please turn that off; what they're doing is absolutely disgusting."

"Aw, Mikan-chan wasn't among the suicides! I'm so proud of you… A little disappointed, though. I thought you loved me more than that! I figured you'd be the first to come chasing after me when you'd heard I'd died!"

"Please just shut up."

* * *

Over time, they found a way to legitimately torture Junko. They'd figured out the secret of their view to the realm of the living and had managed to focus in on the Future Foundation, and Junko was tied up and forced to watch it. Over time, the remnants of Ultimate Despair that had parts of Junko's own body started to be captured and subdued. Many of the higher-ups at the Foundation wanted to kill them, but Naegi had a plan to rehabilitate them. This development also greatly disappointed Junko, who would've rather just seen them die.

"Wait…is that Kamukura? Inside the Future Foundation's base of operations of his own free will?"

"Heh heh heh…of course. I regret sequestering myself from my followers while running your little killing game…I blundered when I thought that I'd destroyed your little 'Alter Ego' program for good, Chihiro-chan. Had I been in touch with someone more knowledgeable, I'd have seen that coming…because I have some people who are pretty good with computers too. Time for me to make my exit from this place…but don't worry! Since I'm still not technically going to be alive, I can come back whenever I want!"

"…She just disappeared. How…?"

* * *

CCX: Wow this chapter was much shorter than I'd hoped. Usually my chapters start getting gradually longer, but this one didn't even hit 1000 words until this author's note. Next chapter starts the Island Life of Mutual Killing. Until then, this is Cyberchao X, signing off.


	7. Simulacrum

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

CCX: I'm considering bumping this up to M for increased quantities of Junko. It's…kind of borderline, the type of thing that I probably would've rated M when I was younger but now believe can get by as T.

Chapter 7: Simulacrum

"Where'd she go?"

"I don't know…she said something about having allies who were good with computers. Could she have found a way to be 'reborn' as a computer program?"

"Doubtful. If that were possible, wouldn't you have already 'returned' inhabiting Alter Ego?"

"…Well, that's what I was getting at. Theoretically I should be able to contact Alter Ego from here, if she did what she seems to want us to think she did."

"Well, Alter Ego seems to be monitoring this program the Future Foundation is running, so if you can contact him, we might be able to interact with it."

"'Monitoring' and 'running' are two separate things. So they're going to take the Ultimate Despair members and have them go through 'school' again, letting them overwrite their memories of despair with ones of hope?"

"Basically the same thing Junko did to all of you, except in reverse. You know, with the erased memories and all. Why didn't those return after your deaths, by the way?"

"…That's a good question."

"So, these are the terrible people before they became terrible? Wait…this looks like our situation in reverse. In our class, there were allegedly 16 people, but we only saw 15 because Junko was staying behind the scenes and you were taking her place. Here, only 15 people were sent into the program…but I see 16 students!"

"Ah…Nanami-chan! Alter Ego must've completed her, and Usami as well—that's her serving as the teacher!"

"…So then she's another computer program like Alter Ego-dono?" Hifumi asked, practically salivating.

"See, this is why I didn't want you around if they ever discovered her."

"Cut him some slack, Fujisaki-san," Leon said, "you're the one who created an AI that looked like an attractive high school girl."

"With stereotypically nerdy interests," Celes added, bringing Hifumi's attention back.

"I-i-it's not like that!"

"Really? You didn't create a digital girlfriend?"

"No! All of my AIs are like children to me! They even see each other as siblings!"

"Whatever you say, Fujisaki-san," Leon said.

"There's a few others that don't quite look like what we saw put in, either," Mondo said.

Mukuro explained, "Well, that plain-looking boy is Hajime Hinata, the boy who would later become Kamukura. Since everyone's mental state was returned to the start of their time at Hope's Peak, their bodies match the way they looked at the time. So Hinata is still Hinata and Saionji still looks like a little girl because she hadn't gone through puberty yet."

"Wait, literally? Not just in appearance?" Sayaka asked.

"Those were the rumors. Her attitudes towards the opposite sex changed around the same time her appearance did, so I wouldn't doubt that she was legitimately stunted."

"It's incredible to think that something so cute could turn into one of these monstrous Ultimate Despair people."

Just then Hiyoko asked Hajime if he wanted to join her in squishing ants, telling him that they make a satisfying popping noise if done correctly. "You were saying?" Mukuro teased. "She's one of the more sadistic ones."

"There's still one you didn't mention. The one that looks like a fatter version of Togami-san…and is doing an unconvincing job of acting like him."

"Yes, I suppose to anyone who truly knew Togami-san, the impersonation would fall flat due to the Imposter's kinder mannerisms. That one is rather strange, though…why would it be mimicking Togami-san if its mind was returned to its state at the start of Hope's Peak?"

"…'It'? Is that one so inhuman that you can't even refer to him as a 'he'?" Leon asked.

"No, that's not it…that person is the Ultimate Imposter. While the flawed appearance could be the result of a glitch in the system, or it could be a result of the Imposter's inability to change certain aspects of itself, there really isn't anything known about the true nature of the Ultimate Imposter. For all I know, it may just put on a fat suit when imitating men to hide a massive pair of breasts."

"That's…an intriguing theory, but it doesn't hold up," Kiyotaka pointed out. "If the Imposter was capable of convincingly portraying a slender, large-busted female, your sister probably would've used it as her decoy rather than you."

"Possibly, but I already had experience portraying her when she was experimenting with erasing memories. She became 'Ryouko Otonashi', and I portrayed Junko Enoshima. But you're right; I doubt that the Imposter can convincingly play slender."

* * *

"So why does your 'teacher' AI look like a bunny in a magical girl outfit?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Usami was still in the earliest stages of planning, so Alter Ego probably had more creative control over her than I did. Possibly even Nanami-chan herself…"

"If she's your 'daughter', why does Nanami have a different last name than you do?" Sayaka asked.

"Why do Ikusaba-san and Enoshima-san have different last names?" Chihiro asked in response. Sayaka conceded the point.

"…Something tells me that wasn't part of the program."

"This must be what Kamukura was up to. So is this Monokuma being controlled by an AI version of Junko?"

"Correct, of course. Since it's an AI, it can continue giving its speech without my input…but it's so much more fun to actually be there in person. Still, I couldn't pass up the chance to say hello to my sister and all of her friends, could I?"

"So, what, you get to break them all over again?"

"Yep! It's called the Island Life of Mutual Killing. Hell, there's even a chance that the victims and killers will be able to spread despair in the real world, since this is just a simulation and so they can't actually die! But of course, the survivors will have even more despair! Hmm…which ones should I knock off first? If I remember correctly, some of them have feelings for each other, so sparing one person per pair would be absolutely divine!"

"…Okay, that pratfall just defied the laws of physics," Chihiro said.

"That's my Mikan-chan for you! Even before meeting her beloved Junko she was a master of fanservice. So desperate for attention…it made her an easy victim. Oh, and of course Teruteru-kun will give it to her when she does that…He's such a pervert; I never really liked having him too close to me because of that but he was great at making someone a five-star meal…and believe me, nothing is more hilarious than telling a person that the five-star meal they just ate was one of their loved ones!"

"Har har. Your wordplay is commendable in spite of the atrocities it was referencing," Celestia said.

"See, you get me, Celestia-chan. Why weren't you ever part of my crew?"

"Because as long as I kept winning, I never had reason to fall into despair."

"…Says the girl who disavowed her real name because it was too 'common'."

"Well, having an obviously fake name just built up my reputation as the 'Queen of Lies'. A useful reputation to have, because you can get away with telling truths and make people think they aren't."

"So, about this… 'Nagito-chan', you called him…"

"Komaeda," Mukuro said. "I mentioned him before. Like Naegi-san, he held the title of Ultimate Lucky Student. He was always badmouthing himself, and he was obsessed with the idea of 'hope'. This was largely because he had none of his own. Obviously, he'd see the Ultimate Despair as his enemy…a delusion that my dear sister was all too happy to foster."

"And how! He couldn't do a thing against me, and he so desperately wanted to…his despair was delicious. I think eventually he gave up on actually hating me and just went through the motions, claiming to hate me. Also, letting him 'conquer' me felt so damn good. You've been dead longer than I have, so maybe you can tell me: can we still do _that_ here?"

"W-why are you asking me?!" Sayaka cried.

"Well, I figure since you're the only one here who actually kind of fell for someone else who's here…well, the only _girl_, anyway—you'd be the most likely to know."

"That—I didn't—!"

"Aw, you haven't let him have you yet? Or has he still not gotten over you killing him?"

"Leon-san and I are just fine! We're just not a couple!"

"Right. Keep telling yourself that, Saya-chan."

"Ah…interesting how so many of the people you've told us about happened to be among the survivors who were entered into the game."

"Well, these were among her most loyal followers…besides, there were plenty of people I told you about who were part of the mass suicide." For Mukuro to explain any further would require a _character_ to break the fourth wall, which was not part of the plan, so the narration will do so instead. Suffice it to say that because _we_ do not know much about members of Ultimate Despair other than Junko, Mukuro, and the class from Super Dangan Ronpa 2, Mukuro was unable to make any specific references to said members during portions of the plot where the readers of the fanfic could observe her, and that the various gaps in time between chapters and even sections of chapters would provide her ample opportunity to enlighten the other characters on members of Ultimate Despair yet unknown to us.

"I hope they all make it out, fully healed. A lot of them seem like they have potential to be good people," Kiyotaka said.

"They do. Even the ones who never really were." A pause. "Though I don't have much faith in this program's ability to do what it's intended to now that Junko has gotten her claws on it. …Also, I _might_ have come to the conclusion that there is at least one person in the world who was marginally better for my sister's influence."

"I help plenty of people!"

"No, you don't. You prey on their worst impulses. But seeing your little sycophant pre-Despair again, I have to begrudge that you at least gave her the stability to function. See, right now she's just trying to please everyone, and we all know that when you try to please everyone you end up pleasing no one."

"Mikan-chan is a good girl! She never hurt anyone and always did her best to make me happy! In fact, she saved lots of people's lives under my watch!"

"That sounds unlikely," Sakura said.

"No. Just like when she was controlling Monokuma, what Junko says would be best described as misleadingly true. As the Ultimate Nurse, Tsumiki would prolong the lives of those who had been tortured to the point of wishing for death, sewing up wounds that other members of Ultimate Despair had inflicted. She did indeed 'save lives', but only those for whom it would've been more merciful to allow to die."

"Of course! Mikan-chan has always loved helping those who are weaker than her. I allowed her to do that to her heart's content."

"So while we're here, why don't you tell us about the rest of these people?"

"Well, I've mentioned Tanaka in passing. I don't know how he fell to despair but he believes he has occult powers. Nidai—"

"I've met him before," both Leon and Sakura said, then looking at each other in surprise at having not been the only one to speak.

"Nidai was born with a medical condition that made him weak, but has dedicated his life to making himself and others strong. I believe his concerns about his own weakness led to his despair. Then there's Princess Sonia Nevermind, an exchange student from Novoselic. Her despair seemed to stem from doubts about her ability to one day lead her country. I never saw her in action as a member of the group, though, so I don't know how monstrous she became. The scary-looking girl is Ibuki Mioda. She's actually a lot of fun to be around even though her music is death metal. She's also even more hyperactive than Junko. Considerably less predictable, too. I wouldn't mind seeing her rehabilitated; just because she was energetic didn't make her any less of a dangerous threat."

"How was she energetic if she was suffering from despair?" Chihiro asked.

"Well, as you'll likely see here, she was always a little bit screwy. Not _dangerous_ screwy, not before Junko got to her anyway, but strange enough that even when she was feeling despair, she'd be able to liven up any room with her presence."

"It sounds like she's another one you still hold some respect for."

"That's not exactly the word I'd use. But seeing her with her pre-Despair personality again, she's quite likeable. Let's see, who haven't I talked about…"

"The nondescript redheaded girl."

"…Koizumi. Her title was 'Ultimate Photographer' and apparently it was somewhat hereditary because her issues stemmed from feeling inadequate compared to her mother. That said, I have no idea what an 'Ultimate Photographer' would actually do for Junko."

"Spread propaganda, mostly," Junko said. "And dig up secrets to use for blackmail. I mean, she could take care of herself just fine but her primary uses were behind the scenes."

"Yeah, I'm wondering about the 'uses' of some of these other people." Leon said. "I mean, that little one, Saionji-chan, just in the time I've seen her in her pre-Despair personality she's established her bona fides as a sadist but her title is Ultimate _Traditional Dancer_."

"To me? That's no challenge at all. My 'original' title was Ultimate _Fashionista_, remember? I had no trouble making her into a killing machine."

"That explained nothing," Sayaka said.

"Really? I thought you of all people would understand the value of a good wardrobe department, Saya-chan. Titanium is light enough that even one built as slightly as Hiyoko-chan didn't take long to be able to handle it as easily as paper."

"I think you stole that idea from a video game," Celes smirked.

"I may have gotten some inspirations from elsewhere, yes. Though the razor fans were hardly the only weapon she had at her disposal; those long sleeves and sashes and what-not gave plenty of places to hide other weapons. She was a regular kunoichi under my tutelage!"

"Oh, and the tall brunette chick."

"Owari. Nothing about her you haven't already seen in your own class. She's a natural athlete like Asahina-san, but doesn't really care much for practice—much like you, Kuwata-san." Yes, her. I almost completely forgot about her, because you tend to key in on who murdered whom when running over the plot quickly and she's a survivor, yet unlike the other survivors, she does little to stand out. Her biggest contribution to the plot is attacking Monokuma halfway through, leading to Nidai protecting her and having to become a cyborg, but then he dies the _very next chapter_. Owari is so forgettable, and in a way I guess I'm glad she _is_ a survivor because that means I'm never going to be forced to feed her lines. I'm sure you've already noticed that there's a serious imbalance in how often the various characters get to speak; Hifumi and Sakura hardly ever get a chance and Taka and Mondo don't really fare much better. Now, a lot of this would normally be in my end-of-chapter author's note but I already set precedent for the narration breaking the fourth wall earlier in this chapter and it's probably best to end this chapter before any killings occur so this is Cyberchao X, signing off.


	8. Illusions of Grandeur

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

Chapter 8: Illusions of Grandeur

"…What just happened? I was quite certain that I had prevented Komaeda-san's murder plot."

"You did. Unfortunately, you weren't the only one with the idea of stopping him."

"No idea who the other person was, though."

Chihiro, meanwhile, was quite fascinated by this. "Interesting… despite your body not actually being dead, because the simulation made you believe you were dead, you showed up here. But does this mean that 'here' is a digital space similar to where the simulation sent you?"

"'Simulation'? …That's right. I was a member of Ultimate Despair, known only as the Ultimate Imposter. The Future Foundation captured me and gave me a chance at redoing my school days, forming a better life than the one I'd lived thus far."

"And it only served to show you that life really is that much of a bitch. You did everything right, and what did it get you? Killed before anyone else."

"Shut up Junko."

"Ah, Ikusaba-san…tell me, who are these other people?"

"Victims of the 78th Class. The same class that contained the _real_ Byakuya Togami, so I don't think that identity is going to fly here."

"Was my impersonation imperfect? Well, aside from the weight problem."

"Yeah. The real Byakuya Togami is actually kind of an asshole," Leon said.

"What should we call you?" Kiyotaka asked.

"Calling me by my title is fine."

"I'd rather have a name to call you."

"…Well, who do I look like now?"

"No one, really. You just kind of look like a shadow."

"I'm not surprised. I've long since forgotten my true identity. But if I'm no longer constrained by my physical body, I should be able to do a much better job impersonating other people's appearances…" He concentrated, and before long, the shadow had taken on the appearance of Makoto Naegi.

"Um, I think perhaps 'Imposter-san' will be fine, thanks," Mukuro said, blushing.

"Wait, you had a crush on Makoto? You barely even got to know him! Or was it from all this time in here, rooting for him to take down your mean little sister?" Junko teased.

"You _told_ me to flirt with him. I did. And I enjoyed it. He made me feel like a regular girl."

"Right, so the new Ultimate Hope is out of the question. Perhaps I should take on a female identity; it's been awhile since I've done one of those." He concentrated yet again.

"Hey! What happened to my respect! You weren't in that program long enough to have renounced despair, not when you clearly have your memories back!"

"Wow. What's got Junko so pissed?" Mondo asked.

Mukuro was laughing at the Imposter's new guise. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet 'Ryouko Otonashi'."

"This isn't funny!" Junko protested.

"Yes it is."

"Wait, is that your real appearance, Junko?" Sayaka asked. "You're actually quite naturally pretty!"

"Shut up. This is the only me there is."

"Junko does have a point. I turned on her as soon as I died because she killed me personally, but your time on the island was quite short, hardly enough to change your attitude."

"It was brief, sadly. But it was fun. Besides, I was the one who could only live by taking on the identity of another. Now that surviving is no longer a concern of mine, what reason do I have left to despair?"

"So your despair was born of fear?"

"Fear…yes, that's a good part of it. I had to live the lives of others, for I had none of my own. It is a very sad way to go through life."

"Well, seeing as how we're in the dark for once, no pun intended, let's see if we can figure out how you were murdered."

"Well, it's certainly not the way that they're suggesting it was. I'm afraid they might get totally wiped right away."

"Meaning?"

"Komaeda-san went for his knife that he'd planted in advance. I grabbed him, got to the knife first, and then…I was killed. But how? I confiscated anything that could've been used as a weapon…" The Imposter's eyes went wide, and then it reverted to the shadowy, indistinct state that it had arrived in.

"Is something wrong? You dropped your disguise."

"If my classmates can correctly solve this murder, I don't want to be in a female form when it's over. And a male form wouldn't serve me much better."

"Aaand that's my cue to exit," Junko said, disappearing.

"She can leave at will?"

"It has something to do with the AI construct that's controlling Monobear in the simulation. Our own computer expert is desperately trying to do the same for the AI monitoring the simulation."

"AI…yes, that's another thing I was wondering about. Upon regaining my memories, I find that I have none regarding Chiaki-san. Am I to assume that she is an AI construct built by the Future Foundation?"

"Close enough. Nanami-chan is mostly my creation but Alter Ego, another of my AIs, completed her after my death," Chihiro said.

"…A high school boy created that girl?" If the Imposter had facial features at the moment, it'd be smirking.

"He swears it's not like that. So if Junko's skedaddled, I take it you suspect Hanamura?"

"Indeed. There was a skewer missing from the kitchen, or so he claimed. Given that he must've struck blindly through a hole in the floorboards and I had a lot of…extra weight, I'm amazed that he managed a fatal wound with such a thin instrument, but it's the only explanation that makes sense."

"Yeah, that seems awfully contrived. If Komaeda _was_ the murderer, maybe, but he clearly wasn't."

"…But he nevertheless was the one who was plotting a murder. He succeeded in getting someone killed, as a direct result of his plot no less, and yet somehow managed to end up as neither the murderer nor the victim, allowing him to continue living. That's textbook Komaeda-san."

"…Except for one little problem: they still suspect _him_," Sayaka said.

"…That, too, is textbook Komaeda," Mukuro said. They watched as the proceedings continued. "Hold on, since when has Tsumiki had a spine?"

"Actually, that outburst is entirely in character. She does what's best for everyone else, and allowing them to vote for the wrong murderer is not good for anyone except the murderer."

"So now they realize that the knife wasn't the murder weapon…but how will they nab Hanamura?"

"Likely the same way Oowada-san and I did ourselves in," Celes said. "He'll misspeak. He claims to have been in the room with the others when the lights went out, correct? And yet…given his personality, that'll be an easy lie to see through."

"Given his personality?"

"Tsumiki-san performed another of her physics-defying fanservice acts when the lights went out. Being the pervert that he is, any recollection of those events would certainly include this…if he was actually there."

"That would never hold up in an actual court; it's too circumstantial. Luckily for them, the 'class trials' don't work like an actual court; it's just a matter of fingering the most likely culprit and finding out if you're correct."

They watched as Teruteru broke down, putting on a thicker and thicker accent all the while. "Oh brother…here's the tragic part. Once he shows up here, he'll regain his memories…he'll realize that it was all for nothing, that his mother died before the Tragedy even took place."

"Before it took place?"

"His mother's death is what drove him into despair. Something tells me he won't turn his back on Junko so easily."

"…And I suppose one of us will have to try to cheer him up?"

"I couldn't ask that of any of you."

Soon after the ridiculously over-the-top execution, Teruteru's spirit arrived. "…No. It was all for nothing?!"

"I'm afraid so. It seems it's time for us to atone for our sins, Hanamura-san."

"What…are you the Imposter?"

"Indeed. Because this realm contains only our spirits, I no longer have a 'default' shape, and so my natural form is, in fact, formless. I can still take on a shape if I so desire, though. Had I known her, I'd even be willing to take on the form of your mother for you."

"No…that would be too cruel. If you really want to cheer me up, why don't you take on a more attractive form?"

"…See, that's exactly why I wanted to be formless when you first arrived."

"Is Enoshima-sama here as well?"

"Only when she wants to be."

"Ikusaba-san? Haven't seen you in a while. You're looking good."

"I'm not in the mood for your flirting, Hanamura. That said, we think that Junko can actually feed off of our despair here, too, so I still want you to cheer up."

"That's a bad thing?"

"You know, she's responsible for your current situation too. The Future Foundation's program was meant only to erase your despair, and Junko and Kamukura ruined it and created a new Mutual Killing game."

"But then why did they give me such a bad lot? They took me back to one of the toughest times in my life. For all I knew, my mother could've been dying while I was away on that 'field trip'! And what if I _did _make it through that program of theirs? They overwrote the memory of my mother's death! And yet, that doesn't make her any less dead. They should've…they should've at least given me back that memory. Reset my memory to just past that point, and sure I'd be mopey over having 'just' lost my mom but their project was supposed to foster hope within us, right? It'd be tough, but I could be healed… Better than to think that there's still a chance she could survive when she's been dead all along."

"…That's true. Giving him a false hope would've only made it more likely that he'd fall into despair again once he learned the truth."

"Ah! Fair lady, you understand me so well," Teruteru said with a bow.

"Look up and you're getting your ass kicked," Mondo said, and, Sakura, Leon, and Taka seemed to have his back on this. Sayaka giggled as the short cook made a point of continuing to stare at the ground until he was upright.

"You know, we've already established that there's a certain degree of mentality involved in the way this place works," Mukuro pointed out. "You could probably change your outfit if you wanted, without even having to get undressed."

"I suppose I_ have_ been wearing the same thing since I died…but it seems I'm well-protected against any unsavory perverts trying to look up my skirt. Your outfit change looks nice, though."

"It's so much more practical, too."

"Yeah, I was going to say it wouldn't suit an Idol like me, but for a Soldier, it's absolutely perfect."

"Well, it's hard to grow up alongside an 'Ultimate Fashionista' and not learn _a little_ about how to look good."

"So, should I twirl around and say some catchphrase like a magical girl?"

"…That won't be necessary," Leon said, though Hifumi energetically disagreed with him. Sayaka changed.

"You're a strange one, Maizono-san. I suggest that you might want to change because of the perverts, and you put on something even _more_ revealing."

"You suggested I take care of the short skirt problem. I did." She looked down at herself and sighed. "Do you think I'll be remembered? I…got desperate during Junko's game because I was afraid that people would move on to a new idol if I was out of commission for too long."

"Well, it turned out that Junko's game was being televised. So those who were able to see it will never forget you, Maizono-san. They just might not remember you the way you want them to."

"Does it really matter what they think?" Leon asked. "What matters is how you're remembered by the people closest to you. So I think your legacy will turn out just fine."

"Th-thanks, Leon-san." She went to hug him, but stopped. "Um, Leon-san, why is your nose bleeding?"

* * *

CCX: Such a cute pairing. Sayaka's not really showing off _that_ much more skin, by the way; mostly it's in the midriff and arms. Until next time, this is Cyberchao X, signing off.


	9. An Eye for an Eye

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

Chapter 9: An Eye for an Eye

"Wow. Being dead has its advantages!" Teruteru cried out. "Though it'd be even nicer if Saionji-chan looked the way she does now." The protagonist-centered nature of the 'camera' had caught a major fanservice scene, and this was seen as a good thing as fanservice seemed to be the easiest way to keep their newest companion happy.

A bit later, more fanservice occurred. "So, Fujisaki, it's really not like that?" Leon cracked.

"What? I'm kind of busy right now; you'll have to explain yourself a bit better."

"The girls on the island are having a beach party, in swimsuits. Your digital 'daughter' has a mole on her _breast_. Exactly why did you program such a detail if your relationship was meant to be familial?"

"Stop ogling her!" Chihiro got defensive. "Right, that…programmers usually put in excess bits of code as a digital signature. That mole is just the representation of that bit of code; Alter Ego has one too. Putting it somewhere where it wouldn't normally be seen was the whole idea; that way someone trying to copy my code wouldn't know to try to reproduce it." He looked up from his work. "She's going to attract so much attention…I think I might have made her too realistic."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing. She needs to be able to spur along the project."

"Bah! I'm the only one who'll be 'spurring on' anything," Junko arrived with a flourish. "…Or at least, I'd like to be. Apparently I can't really _control_ my AI duplicate so much as merely temporarily inhabit it in order to take a vacation from this place. Which means that no matter how bad things get, Monokuma won't be bending the rules the way I did when things got tight last time."

"Why do I sincerely doubt that?"

"It's true! The 'motives' might be a bit stricter, but everything's going to be by the book here! …Actually, I think your little AI puppet _might_ end up unwittingly spurring something on."

"Oh?"

"You'll just have to wait and see for yourselves, though! Upupupupu!"

* * *

"A…game? The next motive is in the form of a game?"

"And Chiaki-san is the Ultimate Gamer. That's what Junko meant. She's going to end up 'helping' to uncover a motive for murder."

They watched as the game played out. "Can this even be counted as a game?" Sakura asked.

"It _might_ be able to qualify as a 'visual novel'. Though I've yet to see the interactivity," Chihiro replied.

"They're skipping days. I feel like we're only getting half the story," Sayaka said.

"...'You've misunderstood.' What have we misunderstood?"

"…The meaning of those words, for one. It says 'down five times'; it's probably the player input that Nanami-chan will end up putting in."

"…'Down five times'?"

Indeed it was. They saw the truth of the matter, that "Girl E" had been killed because she was the one that had actually killed the girl found dead before, and that "Girl D" had known the truth and covered it up. Then they saw the credits roll and discovered that Guy F, the one whose sister had been killed, was Kuzuryuu and that Girl D was Koizumi, as well as Girls A-C also being members of Ultimate Despair. "…Oh, right. That was when Junko recruited Kuzuryuu. Not even killing his sister's killer was enough to free him from despair at her loss," Mukuro recounted.

"So then he'll be the next murderer, and she the next victim, most likely."

"So it would seem."

* * *

"Aaargh!"

"Huh. The first two to arrive here didn't react so violently. Are the memories that painful?"

"Who are you? Where am I?"

Mukuro stepped in. "The answer to the first question is that they're victims of the killing game that eventually claimed Junko's life. The second question…that's a bit more complicated. This seems to be some sort of purgatory for victims of these Mutual Killing games, but as for where _you_ are…your bodies are in the Future Foundation headquarters. That 'Island Life of Mutual Killing' was just a simulation, one that was originally intended by the Future Foundation to rehabilitate the remnants of Ultimate Despair but Junko and Kamukura corrupted it and turned it into the killing game that it became. Theoretically this means you aren't _technically_ dead, but the simulation wasn't meant to handle 'deaths' so you might not be coming out of this coma that your body is in."

"…'Rehabilitate' us? You mean they erased our memories of all that we did as members of Ultimate Despair. But then why bring back those memories?"

"I told you. Junko and Kamukura hijacked the simulation."

"…We don't deserve forgiveness. If this is your attempt at 'rehabilitating' me, Ikusaba-san…I'm not particularly interested."

"Headstrong as ever, Mahiru-chan! I like it. So, then, you're not willing to turn your back on me even in death?" Junko asked.

"…So she was lying when she said I wasn't dead?"

"You're not dead! But she was also telling the truth when she said that you might as well be. That simulation that Future Foundation put all of you in was _super-_realistic, so because you died in there, your body thinks it's dead for real."

"That's…unfortunate. You can't do anything to bring us out of there?"

"I _am_ dead. My sister said that I was part of this, but really this is Izuru-kun's doing, along with an AI clone of me. Which I suppose means that I still live on, but…my body is in pieces." Mahiru's hand subconsciously went to her own replaced body part. (CCX: It really would be so much nicer if they told us all of the replacements that were done.)

"Do you at least know how this will end?"

"In despair, I hope. But if you mean who will survive, no, I don't. I can only assume that Fuyuhiko-kun won't be surviving much longer, though, unless he can somehow pin the murder on someone else…Peko-chan would probably be willing to take the fall for him, though, and sacrifice herself and everyone else to get him out of there if she could get them to vote for her."

"No one would confess to being the murderer, though. They'd see right through it if she tried to pin it on herself," Mukuro disagreed.

"Pekoyama-chan? …That's right. Pekoyama-chan was the one who killed me in the simulation. Not Kuzuryuu-san."

"…Wait, she actually did it?" Junko and Mukuro were both surprised. Junko recovered first. "Ah, I get it…she'll put up only minimal resistance, then when everyone votes to convict her, she'll reveal her connection to Fuyuhiko-kun and try to claim that she was in fact the murder weapon. Shrewd."

"But it won't work, not if she waits until after the voting to do it. If she does it just before the voting, though, she could confuse the issue, cast doubt as to whether they should vote for her or for Kuzuryuu-san," Mahiru said. "She might be able to escape punishment that way."

"…So then she _didn't_ kill you on Kuzuryuu's orders?" Mukuro asked.

Mahiru shook her head. "It's true that we were fighting, but Kuzuryuu-san just wanted answers. Pekoyama-chan was the one who ended it, of her own volition. I never heard or saw him give anything that could be construed as an order to kill me."

"…Tragic fool. I'd have hoped she'd have fared better here…" Mukuro muttered.

"I just hope Hiyoko-chan can survive without me," Mahiru said.

* * *

It went down exactly as Junko predicted. Peko attempted to claim to be the murder weapon rather than the killer, but Fuyuhiko revealed that he had never seen her as a mere tool and she was executed. Fuyuhiko lost an eye during the execution. "Hmm…so, Miss Ultimate Gambler, where would you set the odds of Kuzuryuu getting out of the simulation alive?"

Celes smiled. "Well, he's at a disadvantage with only one eye, making him an easy victim; he's still quite temperamental, making him a potential killer; and he's suffering from quite a bit of despair right now, making him a potential suicide. I'd consider him quite the long shot…_but_, the mere fact that you're asking me that question tells me that I should in fact bet on said long shot and would make quite a bit of money if I did so. What do you know?"

"That the simulation has now provided him with a new memory as to why he only has one working eye. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu took Junko's right eye and replaced his own with it. Now, should he be rehabilitated successfully and without regaining his memories as the program intends, he won't question why his right eye doesn't work."

"I hope you're right," a voice said.

"Pekoyama-san. You were one of the few noble members of our group. It's a shame to see you meet such an end."

"Ikusaba-san. Yes, I suppose you're right…but I regret nothing. I lived to serve my master, and I did that to the best of my ability. And…he cared about me."

"Except for the part where you killed me without waiting for him to order you to," Mahiru pointed out. "Thereby depriving him of his beloved bodyguard and childhood friend. Is that really a fulfilling end? Can you really say that you did what was best for him? For you?"

"I…"

"You did what you thought was right. You cannot blame yourself for your actions."

"…Fuyuhiko-kun? B-but…why are you here? I couldn't save you after all…"

"…My apologies. I thought that having 'Kuzuryuu-san' forgive you would help you, but it seems I miscalculated."

"Oh. It's you. The Ultimate Imposter."

"Indeed. Again, I'm sorry for taking on your beloved's visage like that."

"You meant well."

* * *

CCX: So this was not exactly an easy chapter to write. I kind of like the idea that not all of the Ultimate Despair members renounce their old ways upon death. The Imposter did, just like Mukuro, but we're still not really sure about Teruteru (he's still fairly depressed, though he can be managed with a steady diet of fanservice) or Peko and Mahiru seems to have remained on Junko's side. Obviously, Tsumiki will remain loyal to Junko as well…which probably means Teruteru will ultimately fall on her side too because of the steady fanservice that Tsumiki can provide. As for the others? You'll just have to stay tuned to find out! Cyberchao X, signing off.


	10. Rock You Like A Hurricane

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

Chapter 10: Rock You Like A Hurricane

"See, I told you he was a potential suicide."

"They stopped him, though, even though he's mostly been a jerk to them," Leon said. "So they're making progress."

"Aw, come on, Hiyoko-chan, you can do it! Keep pushing him!" Mahiru tried to egg on.

"You do realize we outnumber you guys, right?" Mukuro asked. "Also we have the stronger ones on our side."

"Empty threats, my dear sister," Junko replied. "One, you know that it's pointless, and two, your 'muscle' won't attack Mahiru-chan."

"I would, if she gives me reason to," Sakura said.

Junko laughed. "Fair enough. It's a shame, though, Mahiru-chan; Mondo-kun seems like the type of man you'd like. Well, in _some_ ways, anyway. He _is_ a bit of a thug but he has a strong sense of chivalry and I know how much you adore that."

"Yes, I suppose…but you know me better than _that_, don't you?"

Junko laughed again. "True."

* * *

"…Okay, _that_ was your influence, right?" Mukuro asked.

"What are you talking about?" Junko replied.

"'Titty Typhoon'? That sounds like something you'd come up with."

"That's not my work. That's all on the Future Foundation. Or more likely, it was on the real Jabberwock Island and the Foundation didn't bother changing it for the simulation."

"The real— this is based on a real place?"

"Yeah it is. At least I think it is. I've never been there myself, but they didn't create this from whole cloth. I understand why you'd think I named the place, though; I do enjoy showing mine off."

"Yes, if only we could've seen the 'real' Titty Typhoon…with a name like that it was probably a strip club," Teruteru opined.

"Ah, well, I'm sure you'll get your precious fanservice one way or another…"

* * *

Mahiru pouted. "This motive of yours had better work. I don't like seeing Ibuki-chan like that."

"That's the point. Ibuki-chan's energy makes people happy, so seeing her like this will cause despair. Also it makes her an easy target. Of course, with this disease making everyone act out of character, Mikan-chan might actually have to take a life… Ah, well, whoever she 'kills' will be here to reassure her, and besides it's just a simulation. She'll be fine."

"Wait, is it just me, or does Enoshima sound like she actually _cares_ about someone other than herself?" Kiyotaka asked.

"It's not your imagination. I hear it, too," Sayaka said.

"Don't mistake it for compassion," Mukuro said. "Did any of you have pets while you were alive?"

Mondo nodded. "I've always loved dogs."

"Well, Junko's feelings for Tsumiki are probably best compared to a pet owner towards their pet. It's a form of love, yes, but not quite the same as feeling for her as a human."

"Given all we've heard about your sister, the idea of her having a pet human seems entirely in character," Chihiro said. "Also Tsumiki-san seems very submissive."

"'Submissive', huh?" Hifumi asked.

"Shut up," Leon said.

"No, no; it's fine." Mukuro chuckled. "Ultimate Despair Yuri Doujins would not be entirely inaccurate, and Junko's egotistical enough that she'd probably be flattered by it."

"As long as I'm always the dom. As in absolutely _never_ allowing my sub any control." The others sweatdropped.

"Well I'm sure you would be, in the ones you're in. But if your theory is true, there might soon be some without you…or the dom/sub dynamic, for that matter," the Imposter opined.

"I wouldn't count on it. Ibuki-chan's a free spirit, but she's mine too."

* * *

"Hiyoko! Ah, you don't know how I've missed seeing you all grown up!" Teruteru and Hifumi both cheered as the Imposter shot Junko a smug glance, watching the two girls passionately kissing. "What are you doing here, though? I thought you locked yourself away from everyone after the Despair Disease hit?"

"Ever since you left, I haven't been able to tie my obi properly again. Sonia-san suggested I use the full-length mirror at the Live house, and I went late at night so that no one would be there…except there _was_ someone there. Two people, actually: Ibuki-chan and the pig bitch. And…that stupid pig bitch was about to kill Ibuki-chan! But then she saw me and so she attacked me, and…I died…wait, where are we? And, hold on…I'm back in my grown-up body!"

Mahiru stroked her face. "I can't really say where we are, only that it's a place for the souls of those who died in games run by Monokuma. We were inside a computer simulation meant to 'rehabilitate' us, so our bodies aren't actually dead, but they _think_ they are which is just as bad. At least that's how I understand it. Ibuki-chan's going to be arriving soon too, you say?"

"Already here, Mahiru-chan!" came a voice from behind Hiyoko.

Mahiru smiled. "Hi, Ibuki-chan."

The rocker girl hugged both of the other girls. "I hate the idea of being dead but I'm glad to be out of that stupid Despair disease. That was awful! I'm going to go say hi to everyone else now to give you two some more time to have your special reunion, but I'll be back eventually!"

"…Eh? Imposter-san's reverted to its Togami-san disguise?" Sayaka asked.

"…It always was Mioda-san's favorite," Mukuro said. "Though it must be quite a shock to her seeing it without all those extra pounds."

"Wait, were they…?"

"To a degree. As you've probably guessed, though, Mioda-san isn't the type of girl to tie herself to a single person. The Imposter is a good match for her, though, given its lack of a defined gender identity."

"That…could be awkward, though. As peppy as she is, she seems to be aligning with the ones who haven't forsaken your sister," Sayaka noted.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. I never understood how Junko even _got_ to her, and I can't see her sticking with the ideology…even if she doesn't want to forsake her friends."

"And yet, even _she_ wants no part of Hanamura-kun," Kiyotaka noted.

"Yeah. You'd think they'd get along great, given their similar interests. Despite their differing Ultimate Talents, I'd say they both have the same top two hobbies in the same order."

"…Dare I ask?"

"Girls and boys."

"I see. So Mioda-chan prefers girls?"

"You saw how happy Koizumi and Saionji were to see her, even though it interrupted their _own_ reunion."

"This is a yuri fan's dream!" Hifumi exclaimed.

"Heh. Well, I _did_ kind of manipulate him back during our game, so I guess I owe him a show. Let's see if we can't get Mioda-chan _firmly_ on our side," Celes said.

"Wait, you…?"

"Don't really have a preference. My one true love was always money, remember?" She had used the quick-change magic of the realm to change into something a bit more revealing, though no less ornate. "Hey there."

"Oh? You're a cutie! I'm Ibuki."

"Celestia Ludenberg. Call me Celes."

"When did this place become the Dating Game?" Junko complained.

"Long before you even arrived here," Mukuro said. "You knew that, because you've teased Maizono-chan about it too."

"And on that note, we're now 6 deaths into the game—with a trial impending—and the only firmly male that we've lost, including the true culprit at the next trial, is that lecherous bisexual cook."

"Chef!"

"Whatever!"

"Again, why should you care? Last I checked you were bisexual too. And only one of the purely straight girls has died so far compared to two lesbians and a bisexual, with the true culprit being a…um…okay, I don't even really know how to characterize Tsumiki's sexuality."

"'Anything that will love her back'?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I'm surprised _she_ never hooked up with Hanamura."

"I wouldn't let him near her. I'm not _totally_ heartless." Junko sighed. "We're actually talking to each other civilly, like we used to. I kind of miss that."

"Yeah, which is why you alienated me. 'Missing that' is just the type of despair that makes you happy."

"Oh, right." (CCX: See, this is why it's so hard to write for Junko. Writing someone who takes pleasure in other people's pain is possible, and even masochism is doable because that's deriving pleasure from experiencing physical pain, but Junko's m.o. of deriving pleasure from her own sadness is a contradiction that I just find so hard to understand.)

"Hey, you losers have been here for a while, right? Is there anywhere we can go to get some privacy?" Hiyoko asked.

"Probably not. Maybe. This place seems to work on mental energy, so you'd probably be able to create such a space…but the would-be perverts would just as easily be able to infiltrate it," Chihiro said.

"'Losers'? If you weren't a girl I'd pound the shit out of you for that one!" Mondo said.

"Bring it on!"

"Hiyoko! Just because you're not fun-sized anymore doesn't mean you can handle someone that muscular in a fight!"

"He already said he won't hit a girl…but I doubt he'd even be able to land a hit on me if he tried. He's probably even slower than Red here, and _he_ obviously can't take me."

"Leon! Why are you attacking her?!" Sayaka chided, noticing the redheaded baseball star on the ground.

"She was asking for it!"

"I'll admit she's rude, but still!"

"This your boyfriend? Keep a better leash on him," Hiyoko said.

"I-It's not like that!"

"It's totally like that," Junko said. "They both deny it, but no one here, on my side or Mukuro's, believes them."

"Mu…wait, your sister is here too?"

"Took you that long to notice me?"

"I just forgot what you looked like when you weren't acting as Enoshima-san's body double; you're so plain."

"I liked you better in the simulation. Your appearance actually matched your personality."

"Grr…"

"Yeah, your weapons aren't here. 'Mental energy' be damned, I've been here for over a year and have yet to get a single gun. And you know full well that _I_ can beat you if you pick a fight with me, regardless of the distance."

"Yeah, I figured that out when you didn't knife me once during my month-plus beating," Junko said.

"Wait, _what?_"

"Yeah, Mukuro-chan was _quite_ angry with me when I got here, and without any need for food or sleep, she was able to just wail on me for over a month straight. I could've stopped her if I wanted to, but you know how much I enjoy pain."

"There. _Now_ will you calm down?" Mahiru asked, reaching inside Hiyoko's kimono.

"…Of course, Mahiru. Let's find someplace quiet, away from all of these losers. Besides, no need for food or sleep makes it easy to lose track of time; it's only a matter of time before the pig bitch shows up."

"I never understood why you hated Tsumiki-chan so much. I'll admit that she's kind of annoying and probably beneath us, but that's just it. Why not just ignore her?"

Hiyoko had no answer, instead looking back to confirm that they were no longer in sight of anyone else. Sure enough, only darkness was behind them. "I'm sure that once the perverts realize we're gone, they'll come looking for us, unless pig bitch shows up to distract them. Let's get moving."

"Wait, when did you untie your kimono?"

"Weren't you paying attention when they said this place is at least partly controlled by your mind? I could probably strip instantly if I wanted to but this is just so much more romantic."

"Doubtful, otherwise the perverts would've been stripping people a lot more."

"…Nope, it works fine. I'd imagine it's a matter of that we appear how we choose to appear, so I can strip and dress _myself_ instantaneously but I still have to remove _your_ clothes one by one."

Mahiru grinned. "Works for me.

* * *

"She regained her memories inside the simulation?"

"My doing," Junko said. "Well, technically Monokuma's, but same thing. She's such a sweetie…I should welcome her with open arms." She watched as the execution took place. "…"

"Something wrong?" Peko asked.

"…Any time now…!"

"It's not working? Tsumiki-san hasn't arrived here?"

"…Let me just pop in to see what's going on." Junko disappeared. Mukuro and Chihiro started trying to locate Mikan on the screens.

They found her still strapped to the rocket bed, apparently alive. "What the…?"

Junko returned after a few minutes. "I can't figure it out. It should've worked perfectly."

"I think that because your 'Killing Game' wasn't part of the original program, they didn't bother programming 'outer space' at all, and therefore the simulation doesn't know that she shouldn't be able to breathe right now. There are a number of possibilities as to what will happen. The first is that the Future Foundation will realize what happened and fix it, thereby 'killing' her. They seem to want everyone to survive, though, so I can't see them killing one off, even though possibility number two is that she'll survive indefinitely and be brought out of the simulation whenever it is ended, likely retaining her 'Despair' personality since that's what she has right now in the simulation. If the Foundation realizes that she's still alive in there and that she can't be brought out in a rehabilitated state, they probably will kill her outright—as in _for real_."

"Is there a third possibility, Chihiro-chan?"

"The third is that certain other things _have_ been properly programmed in. Seeing as how Mioda-san's cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation, the ability to 'breathe' obviously _is_ necessary, so food and water are probably necessities too. If so, she should die after a few days on that bed due to deprivation."

"Hmm. Well, there's really nothing I can do about that, because I can't actually _control_ my AI self. So while I would love the idea of her waking up in the real world still remembering everything that happened in Ultimate Despair, I'd sooner see her 'die' in the simulation than be killed by the Future Foundation." No one said anything. "What? She probably wouldn't end up here if the Foundation killed her themselves. Besides, I don't want to give them the satisfaction. This Island Life of Mutual Killing is _my_ game—well, mine and Izuru-kun's—and so if she 'dies', that's _my_ kill."

But all of them were thinking the same thing. _She really does care._

* * *

CCX: I wouldn't go _that_ far…Tsumiki seems to be Junko's favorite plaything. So, yeah, she definitely wants Mikan to show up in this bizarre pseudo-afterlife they're in. Doesn't make her any less of a sociopath. Until next time, this is Cyberchao X, signing off.


	11. Coast with the Most

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

Chapter 11: Coast with the Most

CCX: This is why I often forgo chapter titles. I suck at them.

"Oh, come _on_!" Mukuro said. "What happened to the penalty for attacking Monokuma being death?!"

"It's not like there was a trap door available," Junko pointed out, "and if it'll make you feel better, that probably would've killed Akane-chan if Nekomaru-kun hadn't stepped in."

"So did Nidai-san take on that much of Enoshima's body?" Sakura asked.

"No, this isn't like Kuzuryuu's case," Mukuro said. "If anything, this has sealed his fate."

"You want to bet?" Celes asked.

"Sure, whatever. It's just for bragging rights anyway since we're beyond material wealth."

"I agree with Celes-san. If Nidai-san can handle that, he's not going to be stopped by anything," Leon said.

"Oh? I don't believe I ever said that he'd be a murder _victim_. I merely said that he wouldn't survive the killing game."

Leon gulped, and Junko laughed, but Celes didn't seem shaken. "Fair enough. You're right that I overlooked that possibility, but I'm still confident, given the selflessness that he displayed by taking Monokuma's attack for Owari-san, that he'll survive."

"Oh? Given the right motive, I'm sure that participating in the Mutual Killing could _become_ the selfless thing to do," Junko smirked. "In fact, I think the next motive will be elegant in its simplicity. I need only be sure that it will actually work."

* * *

"It'll work. Hey, Mikan-chan…sorry it took you so long to get here." Mikan was in tears.

"Hey, hey, don't cry, Tsumiki-chan!" Ibuki said. "I don't blame you for what you did! In fact, killing me was the merciful thing to do in the state I was in! And besides, we technically aren't really dead!"

"W-we aren't?"

"No, you aren't," Junko said. "I am, though, so if you ever manage to get back, it'll have to be without me. But I'm here now, and we're finally together. You did great, Mikan-chan."

"No I didn't. I'm not a killer. I keep people alive for you."

"Really? You never lost even _one_ patient?" Hiyoko asked. "Because you sure showed a killer instinct on the island. Of course, you'd have never taken me if I wasn't stuck in my younger body without my memories."

"I'm sorry, Saionji-san…"

"Just stop apologizing. It annoys me. Geez, even after taking two lives you're still a spineless, whiny little pig-bitch."

"Hiyoko!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. We're all on the same side and I should be nicer to her. …Listen, you know that I insult you because you could be so much better than you are, right? It's just hard to respect someone who doesn't respect herself."

"Yeah, I know…I guess I still have a long way to go to earn your respect, Saionji-san."

* * *

"So that's what she meant when she said it would work," Chihiro said. "Now that she knows that starvation will work in the simulation, she's going to cut them off from their food supplies until someone kills someone else or they all die."

"This is about the part where Oogami-san took her own life for the sake of the others," Sayaka pointed out. "Did she close that loophole this time?"

"Yeah, I think so. Though she seems to have slipped up elsewhere; Kamukura's still got plenty of snacks," Mukuro said.

"You mean Hinata-san," Mahiru pointed out, "he's not Kamukura-san in there."

"Yes he is. He'll always be Kamukura."

"Perhaps that isn't an oversight. Enoshima isn't the one running this one; Kamukura's AI is," Chihiro pointed out.

"So then he's free to dole out food as he sees fit? He can't possibly have memories of the way things should be; otherwise he wouldn't be doting on that AI girl so much," Mahiru said.

"Is that a hint of jealousy? Funny, I thought you weren't into guys," Mukuro returned.

"Hardly. I'm just pissed at him for getting us all stuck here."

"That's funny; most of us are mad at Junko for the same reasons."

"Yeah, but it's not her fault that we're here. It's the Future Foundation for putting us in this simulation and Kamukura-san for corrupting it."

"Does anyone else find it ironic that the only one who has forsaken Ultimate Despair is the one who spent the least amount of time in the simulation?" Kiyomaru asked.

"Just the opposite. Kamukura's plan to remove any sense of 'hope' from the project worked, so the longer they were exposed to it, the more despair they have."

"Well, perhaps that will change. The remaining group seems hopeful enough."

"Yes, but will that stop them? I get the feeling they've already got quite a bit more planned."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that there's probably going to be more than one murder. Komaeda knows the truth now, that everyone except Nanami-chan is Ultimate Despair, himself included. If they weren't locked up right now, he'd probably be planning to get rid of them all," Mukuro said.

"How would he do that?" Sayaka asked.

"Simple. He'd use the rules of the trials. His power of luck is real, and it's already been shown that intent means nothing to Monobear, only the official snuffing of another's life. He'll likely use himself as the murder victim, but set it up so that what actually kills him is not administered by his own hand. He will be voted his own murderer, and the actual murderer—who will be Nanami-chan, because that's what he wants it to be—will escape the island alone. Only thing is, that's too complicated a set-up to do in there."

"So in other words…"

"Yeah. They actually planted one motive and then planted a second that prevented the target of the first motive from acting on it. At the very _least_, only 5 of the remaining 9 students will survive, and that's if Komaeda's plan fails."

"6. Komaeda could end up killing himself."

"What part of 'Ultimate Luck' don't you understand?"

"The two are mutually exclusive, though. His goal is for Nanami-chan to survive, right? So if he's really that lucky, if Nanami-chan actually is the one who kills him, they can't possibly identify her as his murderer."

* * *

"Well, it seems I was right. Although even I'm surprised that he was the victim rather than the killer," Mukuro said.

"I lost. We dueled for the right to continue living, and I lost. It's only right, seeing as how I was less of a man anyway."

"Except you aren't. Your body's fine now, well as fine as it can be considering the fact that it thinks it's dead. That was all just a simulation."

"Even so…I hope my sacrifice can keep the others alive."

"Who was your killer, anyway?" Sayaka asked.

"Tanaka-san."

"Great; I'd been hoping to ask him about this place when he gets here," Mukuro said. (CCX: I ended up having less trouble with the jokes for Chapter 4 than I thought, but there's a problem I'd forgotten about—namely, Gundham and Nekomaru are _both_ far too hammy for my writing style. They're both going to give me trouble, and Gundham in particular will be unavoidable to write about.)

"This place? Where are we?"

"This is where all of those killed by one of the Mutual Killing games end up," Leon said. "I was surprised to learn that you'd become Ultimate Despair. You seemed so strong when I met you."

"I was never as strong as I seemed—not at heart, anyway."

"Well, you can atone for that now, if you want. Most of your former comrades don't seem interested in atoning, though."

"I think atoning sounds just fine!"

"Ah, there's the Nidai we know," Mukuro said. "Loud."

* * *

"These are not the fiery depths of hell. What manner of foul sorcery is this?!"

"I was hoping you could answer that question, Tanaka-san, seeing as how you're the only member of Ultimate Despair who claimed to practice black magic. Nice speech, by the way."

"Ultimate Despair?"

"You…didn't get your memories back when you died?"

"…Ah. I thought that to be a dream, implanted in my mind by some hellish power, but it seems that really did happen. It feels so unreal."

"To me too, my friend," Nekomaru agreed. "It seems we have much to atone for in the afterlife…such as it is."

"Wait. Both of you feel as though the memories of your lives as Ultimate Despair were little more than a dream?" Chihiro asked. They nodded. "Then…it's working after all! It took some time, but the program is indeed working as it was designed to!"

"What is this 'program' of which you speak?"

"The thing is…your bodies aren't _technically_ dead. The Future Foundation rounded up a number of remnants of Ultimate Despair and put them into a simulation where they would be able to redo their lives from a point before they were overtaken by despair and become better people. All memories of their old lives would be erased, if it worked properly. But due to the interference of Izuru Kamukura, Monokuma was introduced into the program and set it on the path towards becoming another Mutual Killing game like the one that killed us." He motioned to the rest of the victims of the game that Junko herself oversaw. "It seemed likely that those who did escape would regain their memories…but now, perhaps it's possible that they won't."

"Unless Komaeda fucks everything up," Mukuro said. "Those files he received from the Octagon had a lot more information than he shared, and given his idealistic streak, now that he knows that almost everyone in there is Ultimate Despair, he'll try to kill them all."

"Almost? Weren't we all Ultimate Despair?!" Nekomaru asked.

"Nope! One of the students is a Future Foundation plant that this androgynous little computer nerd created!" Junko said. "She doesn't even _have_ a body in the real world!"

"…Chiaki-san," Gundham concluded.

"Yep. And since the rules of the killing game say that regardless of the circumstances, the one who directly causes the death is the true culprit, Komaeda needs only to trick her into killing him accidentally in a way that can't be pinned on her, and specifically in a way that looks like a suicide, and she'll escape alone, ending the experiment."

"And what if they do pin it on her?"

"Then the game goes on," Mukuro said.

"Of course, the rules say you need three people other than the killer to discover a body before the death alert triggers and a trial is called. They _also_ state that each person is allowed to kill up to two people. So if the game continues on with 5…one of them needs only to kill two people before their first kill is discovered, and the game ends with a killer escaping," Junko said. "And Fuyuhiko-kun seems like the type who might try it. Hell, that should be our sixth motive—pointing out that the way the rules of the game are set up, you need at least four people alive to hold a trial, so if you can double-kill without your first kill being discovered, you'll get away with both of them. It's foolproof!"

"So then it all relies on Komaeda-san having the discipline to sit on his information," the Imposter said. "Hopefully that speech Tanaka-san gave before his execution will be enough to convince him that reformation is possible."

"It won't be. This is Nagito-kun we're talking about. He's so predictable; that's why he was chosen to receive that information, and to receive it _when_ he did. It ensured that he'd have to wait to act on it until a point where his success would all but assure the best possible outcome," Junko said.

"Is it _really_ the best possible outcome?" Mukuro asked.

"Of course it is! The Future Foundation's experiment would've failed completely, and all of the former members of Ultimate Despair would be destroyed!"

"Oh, you mean Komaeda succeeding at getting Nanami-chan to murder him and framing himself for it. Why would you have to wait, then?"

"Because even if he fails at framing himself, we still win."

"So again I ask: is it _really_ the best outcome?"

"Yes! We get a murderer back out into the world! Why wouldn't it be?!"

"Because it seems that the Future Foundation's goals are, for the most part, sticking…and furthermore, they still control the bodies. Should your dream scenario, a double kill and the murderer escaping on the technicality of the official discovery never being able to take place, the higher-ups at the Future Foundation will simply execute said killer themselves, and you're left with two escapees who probably have joined the side of hope. Now then, I'm sure you've been watching this closely, so who do you think would be most likely to escape?"

"Well, Fuyuhiko-kun is probably the most likely murderer…and he seems to be on the worst terms with Akane-chan. As for his other victim, it'd probably have to be…Kazuichi-kun, right? Because it doesn't seem like anyone likes him that much. It could also be Sonia-chan, but I think Kazuichi-kun is more likely."

"So then you definitely think 'Hinata' will escape?"

"Yeah, of course. No matter who ends up becoming the murderer, he's unlikely to be a victim. Unless one of them turns to murder, Hajime-kun and Sonia-chan are probably the most likely to escape…"

"Except 'Hinata' is actually Kamukura. You don't see a problem with having a rehabilitated Kamukura on the side of hope? Or for that matter the 'Black Queen of Novoselic' turning to the side of the light?"

"…Crap. You'd better work quickly, Nagito-kun; the longer you're stuck in there, the worse this gets."

* * *

CCX: Yeah, never thought about that, did you? It's a good thing that virtual reality broke when it did, because with only five students left, all you'd have to do is kill and then kill again before your first kill was discovered, and you'd be off scot-free even if your second kill was done in plain sight. Until next time, this is Cyberchao X, signing off.

To think I was worried about this chapter possibly ending up too short…


	12. Nice Job Breaking It, Hero

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

Chapter 12: Nice Job Breaking It, Hero

"You said this guy is extremely idealistic?" Sayaka asked Mukuro, watching as Nagito set off a bomb and threatened to blow up the rest of the island.

"Yep. Also batshit insane."

"It makes him so easy to manipulate. I mean, he got duped by a bunch of kids and became their servant," Junko said.

"When was this?" Mukuro asked.

"Oh, it was after we died. You must've been watching a different 'channel'."

"Wait, when you say a bunch of kids, you don't mean the Soldiers of Hope?"

"But of course. Ironic, and rather disappointing, that my youngest followers would take on that name, but it was enough to get Nagito-kun to follow their lead in my absence."

"Right. So he's too simple-minded to be dissuaded from believing that this is the best option. Doesn't he already _know_ that Nanami-chan's the Future Foundation mole, though, having read everyone's files?"

"…Yes. Yes, he does. Revealing her now would not be in his best interests."

"Perhaps he's running a double gambit, and if he succeeds at outing Nanami-chan, he'll _actually_ make it a suicide and rely on the others outsmarting themselves?" Chihiro suggested.

"No, I think he wants to force _her_ to tell everyone the truth about the simulation."

"And, what? Hope that they feel bad enough about their past sins that they willingly suicide? If he wanted the truth revealed, he wouldn't have hidden it when he first received those files."

"Like I said, he's insane. He's always been insane, and he'll always be insane. He doesn't have to be able to make good plans because things always work out for him," Mukuro said.

"There's a first time for everything," Peko said.

"…Pekoyama-san."

"You said before Nidai-san and Tanaka-san arrived that Imposter-san was the only one here who had renounced Ultimate Despair. That wasn't correct. I still have many regrets…but that alone should prove where my heart lies."

"Sorry about that. You've been so quiet since you arrived that I completely forgot you were here…and, for that matter, didn't have much of a read on whether you were on Junko's side or mine."

"I wasn't entirely sure about that myself. It seems futile for the two of you to be 'taking sides' against one another…but that's not necessarily true for we who are not truly dead."

"…Of course. When you died in the simulation, Kuzuryuu was full of despair, so you weren't ready to renounce Ultimate Despair just yet. Now that it looks like he could actually survive _and_ renounce the organization, should you ever be revived your loyalties would be with Future Foundation as well."

"I-It's not like that…These are my own feelings telling me that Ultimate Despair is in the wrong. Although I certainly would not hesitate to return to Fuyuhiko-san's side if I were to be awakened in the real world…"

"Don't you worry, Mukuro-chan! Ibuki will continue trying to turn her friends' frowns upside-down!"

"M-Mioda…"

"It's not going to happen, Ibuki-chan," Mahiru said. "We're staying with Ultimate Despair. I know you want to remain with _all_ of your friends, but eventually it's going to come down to siding with one or the other. And given your disposition, it's obvious which one it should be."

"…We aren't going to have to fight, are we?"

"…We might. Should we ever all be revived, I fully expect those who have renounced Ultimate Despair to turn on those of us who have remained loyal and expose them to the Future Foundation. We probably will have to fight."

"You mean you'll get slaughtered," Junko said. "And the 'hope' team will be responsible for it!"

"Greater good," Nekomaru said.

"Ibuki would never turn on you," Ibuki insisted.

"It doesn't matter," the Imposter said, "we're unlikely to be revived. Those of us who failed to make it all the way through the rehabilitation program will likely be terminated."

"They surely would've done so already, if that was their intent," Gundham rebutted.

"I agree," Chihiro said. "They wouldn't keep your bodies alive if they didn't still have some sort of hope of reviving you in a rehabilitated form."

"Unless they're just too embarrassed to admit to their superiors that this experiment was a _bust_," Junko taunted.

* * *

"…That was definitely a death," Leon said, amazed.

"See, _that's_ the type of execution I could've gotten behind!" Celes said. "Rasputin doesn't quite hold the same romantic connotations, but he's certainly a legend in his own right."

"And yet, he's not here yet. So whatever he's doing, he's doing the 'staged suicide' thing right," Mukuro said.

"You're not watching?" Chihiro asked.

"I'm watching the arrival point. This is where people appear when they first arrive here."

"Oh? Why?"

Mukuro threw a punch into the face of an arriving Nagito. "_That's_ why."

"…Did it work? Was the traitor the one who killed me?"

"Interesting, that you'd be asking questions upon arrival. Well, besides the standard 'where am I/who are you' questions that everyone seems to ask. But I suppose getting punched in the face told you that you aren't alone and that whoever is with you knows what a _complete and utter moron you are._"

"Enoshima! …No, that's not quite right. The voice is similar, but a bit off."

"Told you so," Junko said.

"Well, glad to see that your hatred of my sister is still intact. Maybe you can actually _not be unwittingly doing her bidding_ for once. Though your final moments in the simulation aren't promising on that front."

"Ah, yes, the 'simulation'. …Wait, does this mean that none of us are really dead?"

"Sort of. Your bodies think they're dead, so you can't return to the real world. Essentially, you're as good as dead, but there's a slight chance it won't be permanent."

"…The traitor…was I killed by the traitor? Has the traitor's identity been exposed?"

"You speak as though you still don't know who the traitor is. Didn't those files you got from Monokuma tell you _everything_?"

"…They might have."

"Well, it's not like anyone here doesn't already know. Everyone regained their old memories upon 'dying', so they all know which member of their 'class' wasn't actually there the first time around, and Fujisaki-san here," she indicated Chihiro, "_created_ all of the Future Foundation AIs you saw on the island, including the mole."

"The mole…heh. Interesting bit of foreshadowing, Fujisaki-san."

Chihiro pondered this statement for a moment, then turned red. "It wasn't like that!"

"What did I say?"

"Leave it be."

"Anyway, if you're against your sister now, why'd you punch me in the face upon arrival? Seems a poor way to greet a new ally."

"Because you most likely ruined everything. _Best _case scenario, your plan fails and Monokuma introduces the next motive, which is to point out that due to the way the discovery rules work, a double murder would be an instant win condition."

"Wait, what?"

"The rules say that three people other than the murderer must discover a body before the Body Discovery Announcement can be made. Therefore, with only five people remaining, if one person kills the maximum allowable two people, there aren't enough people left to officially discover the body. The challenge, of course, is that there's still that window where the eventual second victim can discover the first body."

"That's right. Naturally, we leave that part out."

"Of course, it makes for a pretty easy trial when there are only three people present."

"Really? If anything, I think it makes it harder. Early on, one person who doesn't believe in the truth isn't a hindrance, but here, even one person who has the wrong culprit prevents the majority from winning as long as the murderer doesn't vote for themself."

"There's also the bit about the discovery announcement. The murderer has to make sure they're not the last to 'discover' the body, or they'll be exposed."

"They can always lie and say they discovered it earlier."

"And didn't say anything? Not to mention if the first two people discover it at different times, it's obvious what triggered the discovery announcement."

"Only if it's also obvious that the second victim would've seen the first victim dead."

"Wait, what?"

"No, I get it. If the bodies aren't together, the announcement would only trigger once both non-murderers had seen the first victim. The murderer could even call attention to the second victim and he or she would be safe," Chihiro said. "The non-announcement would instantly throw suspicion on the other two."

"And then they'd go looking for the last remaining person, trying to get the official discovery, only to find them dead and trigger it. Assuming, of course, that the second victim did see the first victim dead."

"Wait, why is that the _best_ case scenario?" Nagito asked.

"Because the simulation actually _is_ working out as intended, in spite of Ultimate Despair's interference," Mukuro said. "The worst case scenario is that your 'plan' works _exactly_ as intended and the only one to make it out of there alive is the one with no body to go back to."

"So then Chiaki-chan _was_ the one who killed me?"

"…Probably, given your luck. In any event, if they don't fall for the 'bait' and vote that you committed suicide, they'll certainly realize that your plan was to use your luck to get the mole to kill you, so if she didn't, then you're still killing all but one person."

"Except they don't know who the mole is."

"No thanks to your efforts. Seriously, what was the plan there? I thought you wanted them to vote for the wrong person."

"Only if she was the one who actually killed me! If not, then I'd just as soon my real killer die."

"…You really didn't think this plan through, did you?"

"I generally find that not thinking plans through is an advantage for me. The less likely something is to work, the more likely luck is to make it work."

"…You're an idiot."

"Agreed. Nidai-san and I sacrificed ourselves to this realm of darkness so that the rest of you could live on, and yet of all people, it is you, who purports to preach of endless hope, who was too blind to see the hope that was right before your eyes!"

"…The hope that was right before my eyes?"

"Indeed. Nidai-san and Tanaka-san both claim that their memories of being part of Ultimate Despair seemed like little more than a dream when they arrived here. Surely the same is true for you. And while I remember my evil deeds far more vividly, I have been repentant in death. I believe the same is true of Pekoyama-san," the Imposter said. "I can only assume that those who remain in the simulation would also retain their 'new' personalities rather than reverting to despair."

"Hey! Why'd you mention Peko-chan but not Ibuki?" Ibuki asked.

The Imposter hugged the energetic girl. "You're a case all your own, Ibuki-chan."

"Let me guess: she's retained her energetic, non-despair personality, but refuses to give up on her friends who remain loyal to Enoshima?" Nagito asked.

"Exactly."

"Not exactly a large group, though, is it? There's, what, four people who stayed loyal? And I'm sure Hanamura-san would flip if made the right offer…"

"No one else wants to volunteer to try. Apparently I alone can't compete with the allure of Tsumiki's panty shots and Enoshima's…well, Enoshima," Celes said.

"Did you try roping in some male assistance? Hanamura-san goes both ways."

"Yeah, but all of the guys here are straight." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Also no one else here is as convincing a liar as I am, and _no one_ seems to actually be interested in him."

Nagito lost interest in talking to her after that, finding her far too morally ambiguous to be a hero.

* * *

"Ah, looks like my luck only lasted as far as my death, and no further. They caught Chiaki-chan…"

"Assuming that she was indeed your killer."

"That's an affirmative," Kiyotaka reported on the outcome of Monokuma's judgment.

"So does that mean she'll be coming here, too?" Nagito asked.

"No, because she's a computer program. It's like when Monokuma destroyed Monomi early on, but there were more backups. Of course, Nanami-chan's backups are naturally being stored externally…it's quite possible she'll lack some or even most of her memories of the time on the island," Chihiro said.

"Far be it for me to correct you on computer-related matters, but would they have exported her backup _at all_ once they discovered Kamukura's virus?" Mukuro asked.

"…No. They probably wouldn't have. So Nanami-chan will probably not have any memory of any of this once they restore her from a backup."

"So sad. 'Hajime'-kun seemed to really be falling for her! I wonder how he'll take it…maybe it'll be enough to bring Izuru-kun out to play!" Junko said.

"…Oh _shit!_ That was your plan all along, wasn't it? The fifth motive, or I guess the fourth based on when you actually planted it. Komaeda would lash out upon finding out that Nanami-chan was the only one who _wasn't_ Ultimate Despair and would set her up to kill him. Then the others would have no choice but to have her executed, bringing on more despair than ever."

"That's pretty much it in a nutshell, oneechan. Of course, it's Izuru-kun's work as much as mine."

"But was getting caught in there himself part of his plan? That seems like an awfully strange way to backdoor his true personality in. I don't think this one is his work," Chihiro said. "I think this one's all on you."

"Yeah, pretty much. The AI Junko is a pretty damn good imitation of the real deal. This is my show now."

"And it's working every bit as well as your last one," Mukuro shot back.

"Better; I've already incurred 11 victims whereas I myself was only the tenth in the Class 78 High School Life of Mutual Killing."

"Um, Junko-sama? I don't think that's what your sister meant," Mikan said, trying to direct her attention to the screens behind them.

Junko turned around. "…WHAT. THE. _FUCK?!_"

"Virtual reality is out to lunch," Hifumi declared.

* * *

CCX: Hifumi seemed like the best character to use for a reference that geeky; Celestia's references are more classical. Hopefully I handled Gundham okay; it's really tough for me to write in his style of speech. Until next time, this is Cyberchao X, signing off.

And yes, I went back and made the rest of the fanfic consistent with the change that you might've only just noticed this chapter if you've been on alert and read the previous chapters before this one came out. I admitted that I'd never played the games, so I didn't realize that the name "Monobear" was only in the fan translation and that the devs insisted that the original "Monokuma" name be kept in localization. A bit odd, I'll grant, given that the "Monokuma/Monokuromu" pun falls flat without gratuitous English, but I guess on the other hand, even without being as punny it's still closer to "monochrome" that way.


	13. Point Break

View from the Afterlife  
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or scenarios, etc.

Chapter 13: Point Break

"How are we still here if we're reappearing back there?" Nagito asked.

Chihiro tried to explain. "This…space, or whatever it is, seems to be for consciousnesses. Once you died in the virtual reality, your minds stopped working because they believed that you died. The program, however, still remembers your data, and is holding them in storage. It's like…you know how when you delete a file from your hard drive on a Mac or Windows computer, it gets sent to a part of the computer called 'Trash' or 'Recycle Bin'?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Sayaka asked.

"That's probably the best analogy for where the 'dead' students' data is. What's appearing there are digital ghosts, made from leftover data. They're not actually the digital 'bodies' of the students. Though you could probably inhabit them if you tried, it wouldn't do much good, because they're not permanent and won't provide a route back to the real world."

"Good. Remember, we don't necessarily _want_ all of these people back in the real world," Mukuro said.

"I wouldn't cause any trouble if I got back there. Not alone, anyway. My 'loyalty' to Ultimate Despair is to its members, not its ideals," Teruteru said.

"In other words, you're a pervert so you follow my sister and her lackeys, and without them you have no reason to cause despair?"

"That's about right."

"Well, at least you're predictable. You're a hedonist and a lech, but you're not a danger."

"Uh, you _do_ remember that he was one of the murderers in this game, right?" Kiyotaka asked.

"As his intended target, I'm willing to defend his motivations," Nagito said. "_I_ was plotting murder, and he caught wind of my plans and attempted to preemptively remove me from the game. If Togami—_Imposter_-san hadn't also been onto me, I would've died, but hopefully I'd have been the only one. Also, without his memories, he had reason to want a quick escape."

"And selfless ones at that, so _I_ for one can't fault him," Sayaka said.

"Except you wouldn't have been the only one who died. Because there'd still be the execution for Hanamura. And the next motive wouldn't have been any less effective, nor either of the next two after that," Mukuro said.

"I concur. While we were probably far more suspicious given that we still had a would-be murderer in our midst, Fuyuhiko-kun would've still undoubtedly wanted to make sure he knew what that game held—and I would've acted exactly as I did," Peko said.

"And with Mahiru still dead, I still would've ended up stumbling onto pig-bi—_Tsumiki-chan_ staging Ibuki-chan's death as a suicide and gotten killed," Hiyoko said. "So none of our deaths would've been prevented, since any 'hope' you might've brought with your attempt at martyring yourself would've been lost given that Tsumiki-chan had regained her memories of Enoshima-sama and was also in an altered state."

"And Tanaka-san and I sacrificed ourselves for everyone's good, since we all would've died if the fourth motive was allowed to carry on," Nekomaru said. "Enoshima set this game up too well to fail. At best, you'd have forced her to unveil a new fifth motive."

"Most likely, yes. But Komaeda-san played a role in events throughout the game. Had he already been gone when Monokuma inflicted the Despair Disease, who would've been infected instead, and how would that have changed the outcome of the third motive?" the Imposter asked.

"An interesting thought experiment," Chihiro said, "but things happened the way they happened."

"So what's going to happen now that the program is breaking?" Mondo asked.

"That's…a good question. There should be an emergency shutdown function, but…what will happen if it's used?"

"Wait…something's happening…" They watched as three new figures entered the simulation.

"Oh, _come on!_" Junko cried. "They're going to mess things up again?"

"Technically they're cleaning up their own mess," Chihiro said. "Because this was originally a Future Foundation project."

"Why'd they need to enter the program themselves?" Leon asked.

"I…don't know. They'll probably explain it, though."

They did. "Why couldn't they have done that sooner?"

"Weren't you paying attention? This 'Forced Shutdown' means that the memories of the program won't override their old memories. They'll forget that this ever happened and return to their Ultimate Despair state."

"Okay, so then the next question is, why are they even bothering to do this now? If the choice is between setting the remnants of Ultimate Despair free and letting them die in this simulation…"

"That's not a known fact. With AI Junko officially on the loose and all of the remaining members being at the very least aware of their pasts, there's no guarantee that leaving them be won't create something even worse."

"It's _Junko_," Mukuro said, "she's not going to let everyone live to the end of the program's life, not if it's programmed to be like the real thing."

"So then…probably the worst that could happen as far as the students are concerned is that when the program breaks down, the memory overwrite fails and the same thing happens as Forced Shutdown. I suppose…it's damage control. They're writing off the students as a lost cause and trying to stop the program before AI Junko can escape."

"Which means it's going to be another showdown like the one that preceded Enoshima's _actual_ death."

"Except everyone there knows the full consequences of exiting the program early. Namely, that they _turn back into members of Ultimate Despair,_" Chihiro said.

"Once again, _thank you __**so**__ much_ Komaeda; you really did a spectacular job fixing things."

"If they get out the right way, they're not going to be Ultimate Despair. I maintain that I did right by them, as now they won't _want_ to leave prematurely."

"Which is a _bad_ thing."

"Is it? That AI is Kamukura's creation; having Kamukura _himself_ still running around is inherently more dangerous."

"…Damnit that actually made sense. It's still wrong, because they'll quickly contain the bodies and probably would've terminated them by now if they didn't need them, but it made sense."

"Why _do_ they need them?" Leon asked. "Can't they just send more people in, like Naegi-san, Kirigiri-san, and Togami-san did?"

"That would require this to be a sanctioned Future Foundation operation. It isn't. Naegi-san holds enough clout as the 'Ultimate Hope' that they let him go through with it, but this is essentially a rogue operation," Mukuro said.

"I agree with Kuwata-san. If they didn't approve of this program in the first place, surely they can get on board with ending it," Chihiro said.

"…It's Naegi-san," Sayaka said. "Like you said, the Future Foundation would rather have just destroyed these people from the start. Naegi-san is too kind to allow that; he wants the path that results in the fewest lives lost. That's why Hinata-san, Kuzuryuu-san, Owari-san, Nevermind-san, and Souda-san are still alive."

"…Interesting. Even knowing what's about to come, you still see him as 'Hinata' rather than 'Kamukura'."

"Well, yeah; it's not like I know him any other way. All I've seen is what's happened on the island."

"…Right. Of course."

* * *

"They didn't actually have a clue what would happen, did they?"

"I guess not. Strange, though, that they remembered what happened even though they shouldn't have. And yet…it _didn't_ overwrite their memories. They still remember everything."

"Why aren't they more worried, then? Kamukura's 'despair' stemmed from the fact that the world was just too easy for him. Even with his memories of being Hinata again, that won't change."

"Won't it?" Nagito asked. "He was designed to be the Ultimate Hope, and now he knows what hope really is. He can become what he was intended to be."

"That's…awfully optimistic," Mukuro said.

"Yes, well, blind optimism in the face of apparent disaster is somewhat of my trademark, is it not?" He grinned.

"…You're an idiot."

"Umm…that program is shut down for good, right?" Mikan asked.

"Yeah," Chihiro said, "it is."

"And Kamukura-san's virus—the AI Junko-sama and Monokuma—is gone too?"

"It should be. They're keeping the technology level on Jabberwock Island especially low just to be safe, since Kamukura-san and Souda-san were both among the survivors."

"Then…why isn't Junko back here?"

"…She escaped somehow?" Mahiru asked.

"We're stuck here, and she isn't? Seems unfair to me," Mukuro said.

"Hmm. In that sense, I suppose she's better off either way, but that wasn't what I meant…"

"Now who's being optimistic? In all likelihood, crushing the AI Junko likely finished her off once and for all."

"Well then allow me to ask another question: why didn't ending the program remove us from this place as well?" the Imposter asked.

"You guys still aren't dead. While I suppose the idea of your consciousness and ours being in the same place despite our differing circumstances seems strange, it's we who shouldn't be here anymore, not you."

"Hm. Maybe we should actually _try_ going to somewhere else. This whole 'thought' business worked before; perhaps we're only still stuck with you losers because we hadn't thought to leave," Hiyoko said.

"That's…actually probably true. I don't know how this afterlife thing works; we had similar circumstances for arriving here so we all arrived at a common point, but maybe we're not bound to it."

"So then it's settled. Ibuki-chan, will you be joining us?"

"That's a very tempting offer, but Ibuki will stay here with her friends. Not that you and Mahiru-chan aren't Ibuki's friends too!"

"Suit yourself. P—Tsumiki-chan?"

"Yes?"

"I'm asking you if you want to join us. Hurry up before I think twice about it."

"R-really? Thank you!"

"Yeah, well, you're an absolute mess when Enoshima-sama isn't around, and who knows what would happen if you went looking for her on your own."

"I'll join you as well," Teruteru said.

"Pass," Hiyoko and Mahiru said in unison.

"Perhaps it'd be best if you went off on your own," Celes suggested. "If our theory about the nature of the afterlife is correct, there's a chance you could be reunited with your mother."

"I'd rather settle down somewhere where there are cute girls. Or boys. But…that sounds like a good idea for now."

"I guess _we're_ not really bound together, either," Sayaka said. "It seems weird to think about…although reuniting with family does sound kind of appealing."

"Assuming we actually have people to go see. Most of our loved ones were being used as hostages during our game, remember? So they were, by default, kept alive," Kiyotaka said.

"While _we_ were alive, sure. But what about after we died?"

"…Anyone who wishes to go can go. But I think most of us will stay," Sakura said.

* * *

CCX: Okay…now what? The plot of Danganronpa 2 is over, and there's really not much more to say. Is there really any resolution to this fic? It seems unlikely that I can do much more. So until I can come up with another fanfiction, this is Cyberchao X, signing off.

It's a shame I couldn't have done this on Monday. Tuesday's barely half over as I finished this and yet even without posting this, I've got about as many hits as I did on Sunday, enough to start a new streak of triple-digit hits. I considered posting it anyway to go for a huge day, but I think I'll hold out until my hits start wilting again.

…Or seeing as how the last chapter was able to turn a sub-100 day into a 200+ day despite being posted _past midnight in my time zone_ and the following day was still full of new hits, perhaps I should forget about waiting for a "hit emergency" and just post it early in the day.


End file.
